PHILADELPHIA (April 10, 2017) — A new clinical study is available for prostate cancer patients who are concerned about recurrence. The study is using a new imaging agent, fluorine-18-labeled synthetic amino acid for PET scans, which uses a radioactive drug to reveal how tissue and organs are functioning. In men with suspected prostate cancer recurrence due to an elevated PSA (prostate specific antigen) level, this drug uses the elevated levels of amino acids in cancer cells to help identify the location of a cancer recurrence. In the study, researchers are examining whether this more targeted imaging can lead to changed or better treatment plans for patients.
“It’s the best scan we can do at the moment for prostate cancer patients,” said Jian Q. (Michael) Yu, MD, director of nuclear medicine at Fox Chase. “This is more sensitive and more specific than what we have now and has FDA approval since last summer.”
Fox Chase is one of just 17 institutions across the country to offer this type of scan as research, and it’s now available as clinical service in the PET center. Please contact 215-214-4210 for details.
Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in men in the United States, and about 1 in 7 men will be diagnosed with the disease in their lifetime. Between 20 and 30 percent of treated men will experience a recurrence.