Background. Choline positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) is a currently used diagnostic tool in restaging prostate cancer (PCa) patients with increasing prostate-specific antigen (PSA) after either radical prostatectomy (RP) and/or external-beam radiation therapy (EBRT). Purpose. To assess the accuracy of 11C-Choline PET/CT (Chol-PET/CT) for the detection of recurrences after biochemical failure (BF) in PCa patients treated with RP, EBRT or both, and to analyse its role as a guide for tailored therapeutic strategies. Methods. From March 2011 to February 2013, 44 studies 11C-Choline PET/CT were realized in PCa patients (p) with BF. All patients were enrolled in Gregorio Marañon Hospital (Madrid). Median age was 67.6 years [55-81]; median PSA before BF was 7.9 ng/mL [0.38-87]. Conventional imaging negative tests (CT, bone scan) and BF data make the indication to determinate the location of macroscopic/metabolic relapse. Results. Median BF free-survival was 30.5 months . The diagnostic accuracy of choline PET/CT in detecting sites of PCa relapse was 75%. 77% of them had been treated with initial RP and 10 patients (p) with primary EBRT. 22p showed metastases (68% nodal recurrences), 9p local recurrence and 3p had a second primary tumor. Salvage treatment options were lymphadenectomy (8p), androgen deprivation (5p), observation (4p), cryotherapy (4p) or chemotherapy (1p). Conclusion. 11C-Choline PET/CT is a useful tool in locating persistent or recurrence disease after BF when other imaging tests are negative. This technique could change the management approach for individualised treatment of recurrence.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.