Dr. Koo on the Need for Next-Generation Imaging in Prostate Cancer

Phillip J. Koo, MD, division chief of Diagnostic Imaging at Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center, discusses the need for next-generation imaging in prostate cancer.

Next-generation imaging has been sorely needed in the field of prostate cancer, explains Koo. Conventional imaging tools, which have been limited to bone scan and computed tomography (CT), can miss a lot of lesions. However, it’s critical to be able to identify these lesions, so the spread of disease and the type of treatment patients need can be accurately assessed.

Currently, 18F-fluciclovine (Axumin), which is a next-generation diagnostic agent, is widely used in the United States. However, the future of next-generation imaging is going to be focused on prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA)—based imaging agents, says Koo. Currently, the use of these agents varies across the globe. In the United States, there are no FDA-approved PSMA PET agents. However, several sites in the United States are offering these agents under new drug applications or clinical trials. The United States will see widespread use of generic ⁶⁸Ga-PSMA-11 PSMA or commercialized versions of PSMA once they receive regulatory approval, concludes Koo.