18F-fluciclovine positron emission tomography (PET) becomes increasingly accurate in detecting lesions as prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels rise in men who have biochemically recurrent prostate cancer (PCa) following definitive treatment, according a study published in Urologic Oncology and reported in Renal & Urology News.

Joseph M. Armstrong, MD, and collaborators at the University of Utah Health Sciences Huntsman Cancer Institute in Salt Lake City studied 115 men who underwent 18F-fluciclovine PET after experiencing biochemical recurrence (BCR) following radical treatment. PET revealed no concerning lesions in 25 patients (21.7%), a solitary lesion in 32 patients (27.8%), 2 to 5 lesions in 45 patients (39.1%), and more than 5 lesions in 13 (11.3%).

At PSA thresholds below 0.5, 0.5 to 2.0, and greater than 2.0 ng/mL, PET detected lesions in 55.5%, 70.6%, and 91.5% of patients, respectively, Dr Armstrong’s team.

“Our results indicate that 18F-fluciclovine PET represents a promising new technology,” the authors wrote. 

Read more in Renal & Urology News and find the study in Urologic Oncology.

Featured image: The probability of positive findings on 18F-fluciclovine positron emission tomography scans increases along with patients’ PSA levels, a single-institution study found. Credit Renal & Urology News.