⁶⁸Ga-PSMA-11 PET/CT Features Extracted from Different Radiomic Zones Predict Response to Androgen Deprivation Therapy...

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Radiology
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Predicting treatment response to androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) for advanced prostate cancer (PCa) is challenging.
• Personalized medicine approaches are needed to optimize ADT efficacy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the utility of 68Ga-PSMA-11 PET/CT radiomic features from distinct prostate zones in predicting ADT response.
• To identify pre-treatment imaging biomarkers for ADT responders versus non-responders in advanced PCa.

Main Methods:

• 35 advanced PCa patients underwent 68Ga-PSMA-11 PET/CT scans before (PET-1) and after 3 months of ADT (PET-2).
• The prostate was segmented into three radiomic zones: metabolic tumor zone (zone-1), proximal peripheral tumor zone (zone-2), and extended peripheral tumor zone (zone-3).
• Radiomic features were extracted from each zone to differentiate responders (reduction ratio > 30%) from non-responders.

Main Results:

• Specific radiomic features from zone-1 (e.g., glcm_idmn, shape_MeshVolume), zone-2 (e.g., gldm_sdlgle), and zone-3 (e.g., diagnostics_Mask-interpolated_Minimum) distinguished ADT responders from non-responders.
• The shape_SurfaceVolumeRatio feature was consistently identified across all three zones as a predictive marker.

Conclusions:

• Radiomic features derived from different prostatic zones on pre-treatment 68Ga-PSMA-11 PET/CT scans show potential for predicting ADT response in advanced PCa.
• These imaging biomarkers could facilitate personalized treatment strategies by identifying patients likely to benefit from ADT prior to initiation.