Dr. Sartor on Implications of PSMA-PET Positivity in Prostate Cancer

A. Oliver Sartor, MD, professor of medicine, medical director, Tulane Cancer Center, and C. E. and Bernadine Laborde Professor of Cancer Research, Departments of Medicine and Urology, Tulane University, discusses the implications of prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA)-PET positivity in prostate cancer.

Antiandrogen agents such as enzalutamide (Xtandi), apalutamide (Erleada), and darolutamide (Nubeqa) have shown improved metastasis-free survival in patients with nonmetastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC).

However, a retrospective analysis of 200 patients with nonmetastatic CRPC showed that 98% of men were PSMA-PET positive. Moreover, 55% of men who had negative conventional imaging had M1 disease according to PSMA-PET.

PSMA-PET positivity may inform other potential treatment options for patients, explains Sartor. For example, patients with metastatic disease could receive radiotherapy while patients with localized disease could receive radiotherapy and potentially surgery.

Additional data regarding PSMA-PET is necessary in this space; however, new imaging modalities are expected to influence the treatment of patients with prostate cancer, concludes Sartor.