Opinion
Video
Jason Hafron, MD on the disruptive nature of PSMA-PET imaging
Author(s):
Key Takeaways
- PSMA-PET imaging has revolutionized prostate cancer management, improving detection and intervention strategies for localized and recurrent disease.
- It is particularly useful for patients with a Gleason score of 4+3 or higher, altering management in over 60% of cases.
“And you look at most of the trials that were done in this space, about 2/3 of time, over 60% of time, management was changed based on a PET scan,” says Jason Hafron, MD.
In this video, Jason M. Hafron, MD, discusses the impact of PSMA-PET imaging on prostate cancer management. Hafron is the chief medical officer and medical director of clinical research of Michigan Institute of Urology.
Video Transcript:
PSMA-PET imaging is disruptive technology. It's been out for a couple of years now, and it's really changed how we treat this disease. It's changed how we look at this disease, how we intervene. It's a very powerful tool. It's a very exciting tool to use in the clinic. When I use this, the indications are pretty clear. There's basically 2 indications. One is in patients with localized disease. So, the newly diagnosed patient. If they have a grade group 3 or higher, 4 plus 3 equals 7 Gleason score, they qualify for a PET scan. My practice, I try to get all these patients PSMA-PET scans if they if they're 4 plus 3 or higher. We're finding disease when we wouldn't expect disease, and it really helps us identify patients that are candidates for local therapy or may not qualify for local therapy. And you look at most of the trials that were done in this space, about 2/3 of time, over 60% of time, management was changed based on a PET scan. I think we're seeing that in the real world.
The other great indication for PET scanning is a biochemical recurrence or progression of disease. Again, it's the best tool we have to find cancer. It's our best tool to stage the cancer, and when I say it changes our disease, we will identify potential targets for radiation therapy. It will identify micro-metastatic disease and appropriately stage these patients so we can appropriately treat these patients. So, PET imaging is amazing. It's here to stay. We're going to see in the next year or 2, some different agents that are even better, that have longer half-lives, that are more specific and higher affinity. So, I think this space is just going to blossom and continue to grow, which is great for our patients.
This transcript was AI generated and edited by human editors for clarity.
