Dr. Fendler on the Impact of 68Ga-PSMA-11 PET Imaging on Prostate Cancer Management

Wolfgang Fendler, MD, Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology, David Geffen School of Medicine at University of California, Los Angeles, discusses the impact of 68Ga-PSMA-11 PET imaging on the clinical management of patients with prostate cancer.

Investigators have demonstrated that 68Ga-PSMA-11 PET imaging shows prostate cancer lesions in about 75% of patients with a rising tumor marker level, says Fendler. This imaging test has also proven to be very accurate. Investigators took their research a step further by evaluating this imaging test in a larger patient population to establish whether this imaging test can impact management decisions, adds Fendler. Through the use of questionnaires, investigators assessed data regarding the management of 382 patients; the goal was to determine whether the treating physicians’ intended management plan pre-imaging changed after seeing the results of the test.

To this end, the referring physician answered questions pertaining to what their intended management plan was before the imaging test was conducted. After receiving the results, the physician answered another questionnaire regarding what their intended management plan after having seen the test results. A few months later, the physician was again asked if they implemented their management plan, says Fendler.

The questionnaires showed that the imaging test results shifted clinical management decisions for about two-thirds of patients. In half of the patients, major changes to the management plan were implemented; physicians added a new type of treatment to their plan or used a different treatment modality altogether in some cases, concludes Fendler.