Furosemide Reduces Radionuclide Activity in the Bladder in ¹⁸F-PSMA-1007-PET/CT: A Single-Center Retrospective...

Area of Science:

• Nuclear Medicine
• Radiopharmaceutical Imaging
• Prostate Cancer Diagnostics

Background:

• 18F-PSMA-1007 is a key radioligand for prostate cancer PET/CT.
• Hepatobiliary clearance is typical, but high bladder activity can obscure tumors.
• This study investigates furosemide's effect on bladder tracer accumulation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the impact of furosemide on 18F-PSMA-1007 accumulation in the bladder.
• To determine if furosemide improves imaging quality for prostate cancer detection.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 18 patients undergoing two 18F-PSMA-1007 PET/CT scans.
• One scan with and one without prior furosemide administration.
• Comparison of bladder Standardized Uptake Values (SUVmax, SUVpeak, SUVmean) before and after furosemide.

Main Results:

• Furosemide significantly decreased bladder SUVmax, SUVpeak, and SUVmean (p < 0.001).
• Mean bladder SUVmax reduced from 13.20 to 3.92, SUVpeak from 10.94 to 3.47, and SUVmean from 8.74 to 2.81.
• Physiological tracer uptake in other organs remained largely unaffected.

Conclusions:

• Furosemide-induced diuresis effectively reduces bladder 18F-PSMA-1007 activity.
• This reduction can potentially aid in the earlier detection of prostate cancer recurrence.
• Furosemide is a valuable adjunct for improving PET/CT imaging in prostate cancer.