PSMA PET in Favourable Intermediate-Risk Prostate Cancer? Gold Mine or Money Pit
Background/Objectives: Since the proPSMA trial, prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) positron emission tomography (PET) scan has primarily replaced conventional imaging for staging newly diagnosed prostate cancer. The objective of this commentary is to summarise the existing literature on the role of PSMA PET in staging favourable intermediate-risk prostate cancer. Methods: A literature search was conducted on Embase and Ovid MEDLINE, and three retrospective cohort studies were identified. Results: Overall, these studies demonstrated a low prevalence of nodal and distant metastases, as well as modest diagnostic performance of PSMA positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT) in this patient group. Additionally, PSMA PET did not significantly outperform existing nomograms in predicting lymph node involvement. Conclusions: Given its limited sensitivity, low yield, and cost, the routine use of PSMA PET-CT in favourable intermediate-risk prostate cancer patients is not recommended. Further prospective studies and cost-effectiveness analyses are warranted to clarify its role in this population.
Authors
- Jianliang Liu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5520-2011)
- Marlon Perera (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1138-6389)
- Nathan Lawrentschuk (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8553-5618)
- Weiwei Shi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9451-0161)
Institutions
- Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia (AU)
- The Royal Melbourne Hospital (AU)
- The University of Melbourne (AU)
- Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre (AU)
- Prostate Cancer Research (GB)
- Austin Health (AU)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Société Internationale d’Urologie Journal
- Published
- 2025-08-12
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3390/siuj6040051
- Primary Topic
- Prostate Cancer Treatment and Research
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00