⁶⁸Ga-PSMA PET/CT in prostate cancer

Positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) with ⁶⁸Ga-PSMA is a non-invasive diagnostic technique to image prostate cancer with increased prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) expression. PSMA is a transmembrane protein present in all prostatic tissues. Increased PSMA expression is seen in several malignancies, although prostate cancer is the tumour where it presents higher concentrations. Almost all prostate adenocarcinomas show PSMA expression in most of lesions, primary and metastatic. Immunohistochemistry has demonstrated that the expression of PSMA increases in patients with de-differentiated, metastatic or hormone-refractory tumours. Moreover, the expression level of PSMA has a prognostic value for disease outcome. PET measures the three-dimensional distribution of ⁶⁸Ga-PSMA, producing semi-quantitative images that allow for non-invasive assessment of PSMA expression.