Imaging Tools Aid Cancer Fight

A recent study conducted by scientists at Duke University Medical Centre in the United States has proved that the use of prostate cancer imaging tools significantly improve a doctor's ability to detect the location and extent of recurrent cancer in patients who had previously had their prostates removed.

The study followed 255 prostate cancer patients who were previously treated with a radical prostatectomy, a procedure in which the entire prostate gland and some surrounding tissue is surgically removed. Researchers found that the use of the radiolabeled imaging agent ProstaScint (Capromab Pendetide) makes it possible to identify the existence and location of recurrent prostate cancer earlier than using previously available imaging methods such as a CT (computed tomography) scan. A radical prostatectomy is most often used to treat localised disease (prostate cancer confined to the gland). According to the American Cancer Society, nearly 40% of men with prostate cancer have local recurrence of the disease after surgery, and approximately 11% are at high risk for metastatic spread of the disease.

After undergoing a radical prostatectomy, patients in the study received no additional therapy and subsequently showed an increase in the level of PSA (prostate-specific antigen) in their blood as the only indication that their cancer had recurred. These patients, whose PSA levels ranged from 0.1-4.0 ng/mL, were then given a ProstaScint scan to locate the disease. The scan identified recurrent disease in a staggering 72% of  the patients tested. Of patients who also underwent additional testing, (bone and/or CT scans), they only identified  a recurrence in only 12% and 16% of patients, respectively.

"In most instances, conventional imaging equipment such as a CT scan only detect a recurrence of prostate cancer only when a volume of cancer has already caused changes to normal anatomic structures, which also indicate a significant advance in disease progression. This study suggests that a ProstaScint scan may detect and localise recurrent prostate cancer earlier than previously thought possible for patients with low levels of serum PSA after a prostatectomy," said Ganesh V. Raj, the lead author on the study from the Division of Urology,  at Duke University Medical Centre. "A better understanding of the location and extent of disease may help to determine the most appropriate course of therapy for recurrent prostate cancer and could potentially help certain patients to avoid the risks and side effects associated with unnecessary or overly-invasive treatments," Dr. Raj added.

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