AIM: To evaluate the utility of 11C-choline PET/CT in prostate cancer (PC) patients who have demonstrated a biochemical recurrence and a negative bone scintigraphy (BS).
MATERIALS AND METHODS: 123 consecutive PC patients (mean age 67.6 years; range 54-83) with a biochemical relapse (mean PSA value 3.3ng/mL; range 0.2-25.5) after radical prostatectomy (RP) were included in our retrospective study. Patients underwent a BS that resulted negative and a 11C-choline PET/CT within 4 months from BS (range: 1 day to 4 months; mean: 2.5 months). Validation of results was established by: (1) a positive biopsy, (2) a positive subsequent BS, CT or MR and (3) a normalization of 11C-choline uptake after systemic therapy or a progression of the disease.
RESULTS: 11C-choline PET/CT was positive in 42/123 patients (34.1%). 11C-choline PET/CT detected lesions in: bone (10 patients), lymph-nodes (20 patients), bone and lymph nodes (7 patients), bone and lung (1 patient), lymph-nodes and lung (1 patient), local relapse (3 patients). Overall, 11C-choline PET/CT showed a total of 30 unknown bone lesions in 18/123 (14.6%) patients.
CONCLUSION: 11C-choline PET/CT showed a better sensitivity than BS in patients with biochemical relapse after RP: 11C-choline PET/CT detected unknown bone lesions in 18/123 (14.6%) patients.
Written by:
Fuccio C, Castellucci P, Schiavina R, Guidalotti PL, Gavaruzzi G, Montini GC, Nanni C, Marzola MC, Rubello D, Fanti S. Are you the author?
Nuclear Medicine Unit, Department of Hematology Oncology and Laboratory Medicine, Azienda Ospedaliero - Universitaria di Bologna Policlinico Sant'Orsola - Malpighi, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy.
Reference: Eur J Radiol. 2012 May 21. Epub ahead of print.
doi: 10.1016/j.ejrad.2012.04.027
PubMed Abstract
PMID: 22621862
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