14 min
PSMA Imaging Detects Prostate Cancer Spread PROSTATE PROS
-
- Medicine
Correctly assessing prostate cancer’s spread is essential for staging and treatment options. Until now, scanning technology has lacked both clarity and specificity, leaving treatment recommendations to partial information and guesswork. The new PSMA PET scan changes this. This episode of PROSTATE PROS explores the benefits of the PSMA PET scan and how it can be used to make intelligent treatment decisions. READ MORE ABOUT ON OUR PROS BLOG.
Dr. Scholz: [00:03] We’re guiding you to treatment success and avoiding prostate cancer pitfalls. I’m your host, Dr. Mark Scholz.
Liz: [00:09] And I'm your cohost, Liz Graves.
Dr. Scholz: [00:13] Welcome to the PROSTATE PROS podcast.
Liz: [00:17] Prostate cancer imaging has improved tremendously over the last decade. Advanced imaging means safer screening, more accurate staging, monitoring, and targeting.
Dr. Scholz: [00:29] Liz, I'm glad we're going to address this new area of prostate cancer imaging because there's one scan in particular called PSMA PET scan, which is revolutionizing the field.
Liz: [00:42] So PSMA stands for prostate specific membrane antigen. This is a scan that I hear you talk about all of the time in the office. Can you tell us what it does?
Dr. Scholz: [00:55] Whenever we're talking about scans we're always trying to answer the $64,000 question: Where is the cancer? The scary thing about cancer is it can spread and with prostate cancer, of course, ideally we want the cancer to stay confined inside the prostate gland. Historically, we've had a variety of scans to look throughout the body, MRI scans, bone scans. The problem has been that these scans are nonspecific, they can light up with injuries and other cancers and all kinds of confusing things. And they're not really that accurate so they can miss cancers outside the prostate, even when they're there.
Liz: [01:37] PSMA only shows where the prostate cancer is located in the body.
Dr. Scholz: [01:43] That's right. And let's reiterate, of course, that prostate cancer that spreads to a lymph node or to the bones doesn't become bone or lymph node cancer, it's still prostate cancer. And the PSMA signature stays intact, even if it gets into another part of the body. So if a spot lights up on the scan, this new PSMA PET scan that we're talking about, it means there's some prostate cancer there.
Liz: [02:09] I'd imagine this is really important for staging. Right now you are using a lot of different ways to predict if the cancer has spread, but with this PSMA scan, you'll know for sure.
Dr. Scholz: [02:22] That's very well stated. The historical use of Gleason Score was to try and predict the likelihood of something being outside the prostate or how high the PSA is. High PSAs were statistically more likely. This scan is so much more accurate than anything we've had. Now, if the scan is negative, it doesn't entirely prove there's no cancer outside the prostate, but it gives us a lot more confidence that the cancer is still confined inside the gland.
Liz: [02:50] The scan seems pretty revolutionary, is everybody getting this?
Dr. Scholz: [02:55] PSMA PET scans are available in a number of research centers, university centers around the country right now. And they are usually associated with some sort of a financial charge, but the information is so valuable, the money is usually dollars well spent.
Liz: [03:13] Besides having enough money to afford the scan who's eligible, is it every stage?
Dr. Scholz
Correctly assessing prostate cancer’s spread is essential for staging and treatment options. Until now, scanning technology has lacked both clarity and specificity, leaving treatment recommendations to partial information and guesswork. The new PSMA PET scan changes this. This episode of PROSTATE PROS explores the benefits of the PSMA PET scan and how it can be used to make intelligent treatment decisions. READ MORE ABOUT ON OUR PROS BLOG.
Dr. Scholz: [00:03] We’re guiding you to treatment success and avoiding prostate cancer pitfalls. I’m your host, Dr. Mark Scholz.
Liz: [00:09] And I'm your cohost, Liz Graves.
Dr. Scholz: [00:13] Welcome to the PROSTATE PROS podcast.
Liz: [00:17] Prostate cancer imaging has improved tremendously over the last decade. Advanced imaging means safer screening, more accurate staging, monitoring, and targeting.
Dr. Scholz: [00:29] Liz, I'm glad we're going to address this new area of prostate cancer imaging because there's one scan in particular called PSMA PET scan, which is revolutionizing the field.
Liz: [00:42] So PSMA stands for prostate specific membrane antigen. This is a scan that I hear you talk about all of the time in the office. Can you tell us what it does?
Dr. Scholz: [00:55] Whenever we're talking about scans we're always trying to answer the $64,000 question: Where is the cancer? The scary thing about cancer is it can spread and with prostate cancer, of course, ideally we want the cancer to stay confined inside the prostate gland. Historically, we've had a variety of scans to look throughout the body, MRI scans, bone scans. The problem has been that these scans are nonspecific, they can light up with injuries and other cancers and all kinds of confusing things. And they're not really that accurate so they can miss cancers outside the prostate, even when they're there.
Liz: [01:37] PSMA only shows where the prostate cancer is located in the body.
Dr. Scholz: [01:43] That's right. And let's reiterate, of course, that prostate cancer that spreads to a lymph node or to the bones doesn't become bone or lymph node cancer, it's still prostate cancer. And the PSMA signature stays intact, even if it gets into another part of the body. So if a spot lights up on the scan, this new PSMA PET scan that we're talking about, it means there's some prostate cancer there.
Liz: [02:09] I'd imagine this is really important for staging. Right now you are using a lot of different ways to predict if the cancer has spread, but with this PSMA scan, you'll know for sure.
Dr. Scholz: [02:22] That's very well stated. The historical use of Gleason Score was to try and predict the likelihood of something being outside the prostate or how high the PSA is. High PSAs were statistically more likely. This scan is so much more accurate than anything we've had. Now, if the scan is negative, it doesn't entirely prove there's no cancer outside the prostate, but it gives us a lot more confidence that the cancer is still confined inside the gland.
Liz: [02:50] The scan seems pretty revolutionary, is everybody getting this?
Dr. Scholz: [02:55] PSMA PET scans are available in a number of research centers, university centers around the country right now. And they are usually associated with some sort of a financial charge, but the information is so valuable, the money is usually dollars well spent.
Liz: [03:13] Besides having enough money to afford the scan who's eligible, is it every stage?
Dr. Scholz
14 min