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Is the new imaging same as a pet scan

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Posted 5/27/2021 2:39 PM (GMT 0)
They announced on news that they have a new way to find prostate cancer that has escaped the prostate. Doesn't a pet scan do the same thing.
Posted 5/27/2021 4:40 PM (GMT 0)
from what i know a pet scan is the clearest way to find something
Posted 5/27/2021 5:56 PM (GMT 0)
I figure the new scan you are talking about is the new, improved PET scan:
https://www.cancer.gov/news-events/cancer-currents-blog/2020/prostate-cancer-psma-pet-ct-metastasis

"UPDATE: On December 1, 2020, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the radioactive tracer Gallium (Ga) 68 PSMA-11 for use in PET imaging of men with prostate cancer. Under the approval, the tracer can be used in PET imaging for prostate cancer that is suspected of having spread to other parts of the body. Ga 68 PSMA-11 can also be used in men who have been treated successfully for prostate cancer but, because of elevated PSA levels, their disease is suspected of having returned......."
Posted 5/27/2021 6:44 PM (GMT 0)
I read today another tracer has been approved

18F-DCFPyL.

Link

https://www.cancernetwork.com/view/fda-approves-18f-dcfpyl-as-first-psma-pet-imaging-agent-available-for-prostate-cancer

Sounds like it will be available to more that the one in December
Posted 5/27/2021 6:53 PM (GMT 0)
https://www.cancernetwork.com/view/fda-approves-18f-dcfpyl-as-first-psma-pet-imaging-agent-available-for-prostate-cancer
Posted 5/27/2021 7:05 PM (GMT 0)
PET scans use different tracers. The PMSA/ 18F-DCFPyL is the newest from UCLA research for prostate cancer.
Posted 5/27/2021 7:15 PM (GMT 0)
I expect we'll soon see studies comparing 18F-DCFPyL to 68gallium, since the latter edged out Axumin (a different 18F tracer) in most head-to-head studies. However, unlike 18F tracers which are eliminated mainly by the liver, 18ga is eliminated by the kidneys, so it can be hard to discern lesions in the bladder neck and nearby nodes, especially if there is any urinary retention, since this area often lights up.

It's possible each will have its niche, since one tracer can be slightly superior to another for one specific use but not another, e.g. diagnostic workup vs. recurrence.

The cost outlay for a generator (cyclotron) is high, and for these tracers they need to be located close to the scan equipment since they have a short half lives (about 1 - 1.5 hr). Perhaps we have a nuclear engineer among our Brothers who can answer a question: Can a generator be used for only one tracer, or multiple tracers based on a single element, or can the same generator be converted for use for isotopes of another element? If the latter is the case, then an institution without oodles of money may be wedded to one scan type after purchase.

Viva la competizione!

Djin
Posted 5/27/2021 8:04 PM (GMT 0)
I dropped my URO and have began seeing Dr. Oliver Sartor at Tulane medical school/cancer treatment center. My PSA keep climbing last year and via this forum found Dr. Sartor. My PSA hit .2 in January 21, so BOC has happened,

When my PSA gets higher, Dr. Sartor is planning on using the new scan to find where the tumor(s) is/are and hopefully treat the tumor(s) with spot radiation. These new trackers offer new treatments for G9 guys like me. Dr. Sartor is following these new scans closely.
Posted 5/27/2021 9:32 PM (GMT 0)
https://www.pcf.org/blog/breaking-news-fda-approves-a-highly-sensitive-prostate-cancer-imaging-agent/

Might be easier to ship.
Posted 5/28/2021 3:17 AM (GMT 0)
Enrolled in a 18F- clinical trial in August 2018 after psa was 1.17. 2 small pre-sacral LN identified hot. No other positive areas found. SRT to prostate bed and spot radiation to the 2 LN December2018. Undetectable as of last psa test Feb/21. These new PET scans can identify fairly small lesions/tumors.
Dave
Posted 5/28/2021 3:50 PM (GMT 0)
Yippee
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