Objective To define the natural history, patterns of recurrence and treatment modalities for local prostate cancer (PCa) recurrence following radical prostatectomy (RP) and radiation therapy (RT), and to investigate factors that could predict metastasis‐free survival (MFS) in this unique patient population. Methods We queried a prospectively maintained PCa registry to identify men developing in‐field recurrence (IFR) following RP and RT from 2008 to 2021 at a single institution. IFR was defined as biopsy‐proven recurrent PCa or the presence of persistent positron emission tomography‐avid lesions in the prior radiation field without evidence of metastasis. Cox regression was conducted to determine predictors of MFS. Kaplan–Meier methods were used to calculate MFS, cancer‐specific survival (CSS) and overall survival (OS) for patients in three primary therapy categories: cryoablation, androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) alone, and surveillance. Results Of 4575 patients from our registry, 108 (2.3%) with IFR were identified. The median (interquartile range [IQR]) time to IFR from salvage treatment was 78 (50–126) months. A total of 29 patients (26%) were managed with cryoablation, 23 (21%) with ADT, and 28 (25%) with surveillance. The median (IQR) follow‐up was 76 (48–100) months. There were no statistically significant differences in MFS ( P = 0.67) or OS ( P = 0.07) among the three primary treatment cohorts. Patients treated with ADT or cryoablation had longer CSS compared to patients managed with surveillance ( P = 0.047). Conclusions We found that IFR may present years after completion of primary treatment for PCa. While curative management strategies may be attempted, local and distant metastatic recurrence is common and often requires systemic therapy.
Risk of malignancy in thyroid nodules with increased 11C-Choline uptake detected incidentally on PET/CT: A diagnostic accuracy study
Purpose: The purpose was to evaluate the pathological nature of focal thyroid uptake seen in 11C-Choline PET/CT performed for prostate cancer. Material and methods: The study was IRB-approved. All 11C-Choline PET/CT exam reports for studies performed between January 01, 2018, and July 30, 2021, in male patients with prostate cancer in our institution were retrospectively reviewed. Exams with “focal thyroid uptake” on their final report were selected. Patients with surgery or ablation in the thyroid prior to the PET/CT, proven parathyroid adenomas or absent thyroid ultrasound were excluded. Repeated PET/CT exams of same patient were excluded. PET images were analyzed visually and semi-quantitatively by measuring the maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) of the focal thyroid uptake. Available thyroid ultrasound images, cytology and pathology reports were reviewed. Statistical analyses were performed. Results: Out of 10,047 sequential 11C-Choline PET/CT studies, 318 reports included “focal thyroid uptake.” About 128 of these studies were repeat exams and were excluded. Additional 87 patients were excluded, because the uptake was determined to be adjacent, rather than confined to the thyroid gland. Out of the remaining 103 patients, 74 patients had focal thyroid uptake and concurrent thyroid sonographic evaluation. Out of the 74 focal uptakes evaluated with ultrasound, 21 were presumed benign thyroid nodules based on the ultrasound and 53 had further evaluation with biopsy. Sixty three nodules were benign (21 presumed benign on ultrasound and 42 cytology or surgical pathology-proven), 9 nodules were malignant and 2 remained indeterminate. There was no significant difference between the SUVs of the benign and malignant groups (P > .3). Conclusion: In this retrospective study of patients with prostate cancer who underwent 11C-Choline PET/CT, we identified a group of patients who underwent thyroid ultrasound for incidental finding of focal 11C-Choline thyroid uptake. Incidence of malignancy in this group was 12%. Therefore, further investigation with ultrasound and possibly ultrasound-guided biopsy may be warranted when a choline avid thyroid nodule is found incidentally on choline PET.
A Retrospective Evaluation of the Treatment Effects of Rituximab in Patients with Progressive and Symptomatic Fibrosing Mediastinitis
Abstract Rationale Fibrosing mediastinitis (FM) is an uncommon fibroinflammatory condition without established or effective medical therapies. Infiltrating B lymphocytes are commonly present, and progressive fibrosis compromises mediastinal structures, including blood vessels and airways, resulting in significant morbidity and mortality. Objective To evaluate the benefits and side effects of rituximab in patients with progressive and symptomatic FM. Methods We treated 22 patients (median age, 35 yr; range, 15–68 yr; 45% female) with metabolically active, progressive FM with rituximab on an off-label basis. Additionally, patients were administered pneumocystis and antifungal prophylaxis when immunosuppressed with rituximab. Modeling of longitudinal treatment response based on changes in relative lesion volume from baseline was performed retrospectively using functional data analysis, and time-to-event modeling was performed to estimate treatment response rates based on a >30% reduction in pretreatment volume. The primary endpoints were lack of disease progression and change in mediastinal lesion volume on computed tomography (evaluated retrospectively). Results No patient experienced disease progression after rituximab therapy. Median clinical follow-up was 42 months (range, 7–94 mo) and imaging follow-up 21 months (range, 7–62 mo). A total of 82% of patients had confirmed histoplasmosis-associated FM. After rituximab treatment, a 49.6% (95% confidence interval, 17.5–64.4%) mean estimated decrease in pretreatment lesion volume was observed at 24 months. The estimated objective treatment response rate was 47.9% (95% confidence interval, 26.7–70.3%). Conclusions This observational study suggests that rituximab is a well tolerated and potentially effective therapy in a cohort of patients with symptomatic and progressive FM.
SECuRE: A dose escalation/expansion study to assess the anti-tumor efficacy of 67Cu-SAR-bisPSMA in patients with metastatic castrate resistant prostate cancer.
TPS5116 Background: Prostate cancer (PC) is common and despite recent advances in treatment options, patients with metastatic disease still have poor outcomes, warranting the development of new effective therapies in this setting. Prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) is expressed in benign and malignant prostate tissues and luminal surface of salivary/lacrimal glands, small intestine and renal tubules. The double PSMA binding moiety of SAR-bisPSMA in 64Cu-SAR-bisPSMA (imaging) and 67Cu-SAR-bisPSMA (therapy) may offer advantages compared to currently used single-target PSMA agents. Clinical evidence demonstrated 2-3 times higher uptake of 64Cu-SAR-bisPSMA compared to the single-target PSMA agent, 68Ga-PSMA-11. Pre-clinical efficacy data of 67Cu-SAR-bisPSMA in mice showed statistically significant tumor growth inhibition compared to the control group as well as a dose-dependent delay in eventual tumor regression in a PC xenograft study. These results led to the development of this clinical study, which aims to assess safety and anti-tumor efficacy of 67Cu-SAR-bisPSMA in patients with metastatic castrate resistant PC (mCRPC). Methods: SECuRE is a phase I/IIa multi-center, open-label, non-randomized, dose-escalation and cohort expansion study of 64Cu-SAR-bisPSMA and 67Cu-SAR-bisPSMA (NCT04868604). mCRPC patients with progression, prior exposure to at least one androgen receptor pathway inhibitor, and positive 64Cu-SAR-bisPSMA PET may be treated with 67Cu-SAR-bisPSMA. This study is being conducted in 3 phases: a 64Cu-SAR-bisPSMA Dosimetry Phase (n=6), a 67Cu-SAR-bisPSMA Dose Escalation Phase (n=up to 24), and a 67Cu-SAR-bisPSMA Cohort Expansion Phase (n=14). The primary and key secondary objectives include assessment of 64Cu- and 67Cu-SAR-bisPSMA safety and dosimetry, determining the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) or maximum feasible dose (MFD) and anti-tumor efficacy of 67Cu-SAR-bisPSMA. The 67Cu-SAR-bisPSMA dose levels investigated in the escalation phase include: 4 GBq (cohort 1, single dose), 8 GBq (cohort 2, single dose), 12 GBq (cohort 3, single dose) and up to 24 GBq across two doses (cohort 4, two doses at MTD or MFD). The Dose Expansion Phase of the study will allow the administration of up to 4 doses of 67Cu-SAR-bisPSMA at the MTD/MFD. Response measurements include reduction in PSA levels, radiological progression-free survival, duration of response and overall survival. Radiological response will be assessed by RECIST V1.1 and PCWG3. At the time of submission of this abstract, no dose limiting toxicities have been observed to date in the first 3 cohorts. In the United States, 4 sites are active with additional sites in planning. Additional sites in the US and Australia are currently in start-up. Clinical trial information: NCT04868604 .
Reversibility of Bicalutamide PSMA PET-Positive Gynecomastia With Androgen Deprivation Therapy
Abstract A 78-year-old man receiving bicalutamide for prostate cancer was referred for a PSMA PET/CT scan to evaluate his gradually rising prostate-specific antigen level. The PSMA PET/CT revealed gynecomastia with radiotracer uptake in bilateral breast parenchyma, a known but rarely reported effect of bicalutamide monotherapy. This scan also demonstrated metastatic progression of his disease in bone and lymph nodes, and he was started on leuprolide injections. Three months after a decrease in his testosterone level, the radiotracer uptake in his breast tissue had resolved, demonstrating that PSMA-avid bicalutamide-induced gynecomastia is reversible.
SECuRE: A dose escalation/expansion study to assess the anti-tumor efficacy of 67Cu-SAR-bisPSMA in patients with metastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer.
TPS246 Background: Prostate cancer (PC) is common and despite recent advances in treatment options, patients with metastatic disease still have poor outcomes, warranting the development of new effective therapies in this setting. Prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) is expressed in benign and malignant prostate tissues and luminal surface of salivary/lacrimal glands, small intestine and renal tubules. The double PSMA binding moiety of SAR-bisPSMA in 64Cu-SAR-bisPSMA (imaging) and 67Cu-SAR-bisPSMA (therapy) may offer advantages compared to currently used single-target PSMA agents. Clinical evidence demonstrated 2-3 times higher uptake of 64Cu-SAR-bisPSMA compared to the single-target PSMA agent, 68Ga-PSMA-11. Pre-clinical efficacy data of 67Cu-SAR-bisPSMA in mice showed statistically significant tumor growth inhibition compared to the control group as well as a dose-dependent delay in eventual tumor regression in a PC xenograft study. These results led to the development of this clinical study, which aims to assess safety and anti-tumor efficacy of 67Cu-SAR-bisPSMA in patients with metastatic castrate resistant PC (mCRPC). Methods: SECuRE is a phase I/IIa multi-center, open-label, non-randomized, dose-escalation and cohort expansion study of 64Cu-SAR-bisPSMA and 67Cu-SAR-bisPSMA. mCRPC patients with progression, prior exposure to at least one androgen receptor pathway inhibitor, and positive 64Cu-SAR-bisPSMA PET may be treated with 67Cu-SAR-bisPSMA. This study is being conducted in 3 phases: a 64Cu-SAR-bisPSMA Dosimetry Phase (n=6), a 67Cu-SAR-bisPSMA Dose Escalation Phase (n=up to 24), and a 67Cu-SAR-bisPSMA Cohort Expansion Phase (n=14). The primary and key secondary objectives include assessment of 64Cu- and 67Cu-SAR-bisPSMA safety and dosimetry, determining the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) or maximum feasible dose (MFD) and anti-tumor efficacy of 67Cu-SAR-bisPSMA. The 67Cu-SAR-bisPSMA dose levels investigated in the escalation phase include: 4 GBq (cohort 1, single dose), 8 GBq (cohort 2, single dose), 12 GBq (cohort 3, single dose) and up to 24 GBq across two doses (cohort 4, two doses at MTD or MFD). The Dose Expansion Phase of the study will allow the administration of up to 4 doses of 67Cu-SAR-bisPSMA at the MTD/MFD. Response measurements include reduction in PSA levels, radiological progression-free survival, duration of response and overall survival. Radiological response will be assessed by RECIST 1 V1.1 and PCWG3. At the time of submission of this abstract, cohort 3 is open for recruitment and no dose limiting toxicities have been observed to date. Clinical trial information: NCT04868604 .
Utility of PSMA PET/CT for imaging ductal carcinoma of the prostate.
49 Background: Ductal carcinoma (DC) is the second most commonly encountered histologic variant of prostate cancer. Previous studies have described its molecular features and aggressive behavior, but few have explored the performance of PSMA PET/CT in the initial staging and follow-up of DC. Methods: To address this gap, we performed a single-institution retrospective analysis using the Mayo Clinic PSMA PET database. All patients receiving a PSMA PET/CT scan in the interval of January 1, 2021, to December 31, 2022, were eligible for inclusion. Cases were filtered and categorized by histology at the time of diagnosis to select for pure DAC and mixed ductal variants. Trained research personnel annotated disease- and treatment-related variables. A board-certified radiologist performed tumor burden segmentation with calculations of SUV max, total lesion SUV mean and volume, and total lesion uptake, and ascribed a miPSMA expression score. Results: We queried 1792 patients from our PSMA PET/CT registry and identified 32 (1.8%) patients with a pathologically confirmed DC, including 8 (25%) patients with pure ductal and 25 (75%) patients with mixed histology. The indication for PSMA PET/CT was biochemical progression or restaging for 29 (91%) patients and initial staging for 3 (9%) patients. The median (IQR) time from prostate cancer diagnosis to PSMA PET scan was 41.6 (11.5-64.7) months, during this time 50% (n= 16) of patients developed CRPC. At the time of the PSMA PET/CT scan, the median age was 70 years, the median (IQR) PSA was 0.5 ng/mL (0.2-2.6). The distribution of metastatic spread and quantitative imaging parameters from PSMA PET are shown in the Table. Conclusions: Despite low PSA at the time of imaging, PSMA PET/CT frequently detected high volume osseous and/or visceral metastases in patients with DC. However, it is noteworthy that more than 50% of patients with DC had a low miPSMA score (0-1). Additional studies are needed to better understand the performance of novel imaging modalities when evaluating variant prostate cancers. [Table: see text]
Outcomes for patients with mCRPC and liver metastasis receiving 177-Lu-PSMA-617 treatment.
175 Background: It is well-known that patients with liver metastases from metastatic castration resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) have poorer or transient responses to many forms of systemic therapy. Data on outcomes following treatment with Lutetium-177–PSMA-617 is scarce. The VISION trial reports hazard ratios for overall survival in the subgroup of patients with liver metastases without disclosing the absolute duration of survival. Using real-world clinical data, we examine this important subgroup of patients, describing their PSA response rates and survival. Methods: A single institution database was assembled to include all patients receiving 177-Lu-PSMA-617 at Mayo Clinic Rochester, MN, and starting treatment in the interval of March 2022 to March 2023. Baseline clinicopathologic and imaging characteristics were abstracted. Patients were categorized based on the presence or absence of measurable liver metastases on their baseline PSMA PET scan. Best PSA response while on treatment was annotated and reported as percent decline from baseline. Survival was calculated from date of first cycle of 177-Lu-PSMA-617. PSA50 response and overall survival (OS) outcomes for the two groups (liver metastases versus no liver metastases) were compared using Chi square test and Kaplan-Meier method, respectively. Those with available pre-treatment circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) genomic profiling, performed by Guardant (83 gene panel), were assessed for the presence of pathogenic and likely pathogenic alterations. Findings are summarized using descriptive statistics. Results: The overall cohort consisted of 212 patients, including 29 (14%) with liver metastases on pre-treatment PSMA PET/CT. The median number of cycles received was 4 (range, 1-6) for patients with liver metastases and 6 (range, 1-6) for those without hepatic involvement. The observed PSA50 response trended lower for those with liver metastases (34.5% [10/29] versus 51% [94/183], p= 0.091). At median (IQR) follow-up of 10 (8-12) months, there was a numerical but not statistically significant difference in median OS (11.28 months versus NR, p=0.066). In the exploratory analysis of baseline ctDNA, BRCA2 copy number loss was relatively enriched among patients with liver metastases (4 of 19, 21%) versus patients without liver disease (5.7%, 9/158). Conclusions: Our data suggest that the presence of liver metastases predict poorer outcomes in patients receiving Lutetium-177–PSMA-617 treatment, which is similar to data reported with other forms of systemic therapy for mCRPC. To maximize the anti-tumor activity of radioligand therapy in the liver, combination approaches should be explored.
Assessment of hematological toxicity in patients with advanced neuroendocrine tumors and extensive/innumerable bone metastases undergoing lutetium-177 DOTATATE treatment.
592 Background: The introduction of peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRT) using Lutetium-177 (177Lu) DOTATATE has led to a paradigm shift in the treatment of neuroendocrine tumors (NETs). Hematological toxicity is a well-recognized adverse effect (AE) of 177Lu DOTATATE. Most cytopenias are transient, with an estimated incidence of 10-25%, typically mild to moderate in severity (grade G1-2). The most dreaded AE of PRRT is therapy-related myeloid neoplasm (t-MN), with an estimated 2-8% incidence and a higher incidence reported in patients who also received prior chemotherapy. We sought to evaluate the hematological safety of 177Lu PRRT in the setting of NETs with extensive (i.e., innumerable) bone metastases. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of all Mayo Clinic patients (pts) with extensive/innumerable osseous metastases, defined as >50% skeletal involvement by positron emission tomography (PET) DOTATATE, who were treated with 177Lu DOTATATE. Pts characteristics and laboratory results were collected before, during, and after 177Lu DOTATATE treatment. Hematotoxicity was graded according to the NCI-CTCAE v5. Results: Out of 27 pts, 13(48%) developed cytopenia(s) of any grade after treatment with one or more cycles of 177Lu DOTATATE. In total, there were 13(48%) pts with anemia, 13(48%) with thrombocytopenia, and 6(22%) with neutropenia. Six (22%) pts had severe hematological toxicity (G3-4). Twelve months post-PRRT, 7(26%) pts continued to experience cytopenia(s) of any grade, of whom 4(15%) had G3-4 hematotoxicity. One pt developed t-MN, and two pts had myelophthisis on bone marrow biopsy from infiltrating NET. 16(59%) pts received cytotoxic chemotherapy before PRRT, and 7(25.9%) developed subsequent cytopenia(s). Overall, 15(55%) pts completed four cycles, while 3 pts didn’t complete four cycles of 177Lu DOTATATE due to hematotoxicity. Conclusions: Pts with advanced NETs and extensive/innumerable bone metastases treated with PRRT could be at higher risk for myelosuppression than historical controls. Our study highlights the importance of carefully monitoring and assessing hematological parameters in pts being considered for 177Lu DOTATATE with extensive/innumerable bone metastasis. [Table: see text]
Application of Advanced Imaging to Prostate Cancer Diagnosis and Management: A Narrative Review of Current Practice and Unanswered Questions
Major advances in prostate cancer diagnosis, staging, and management have occurred over the past decade, largely due to our improved understanding of the technical aspects and clinical applications of advanced imaging, specifically magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and prostate-cancer-specific positron emission tomography (PET). Herein, we review the established utility of these important and exciting technologies, as well as areas of controversy and uncertainty that remain important areas for future study. There is strong evidence supporting the utility of MRI in guiding initial biopsy and assessing local disease. There is debate, however, regarding how to best use the imaging modality in risk stratification, treatment planning, and assessment of biochemical failure. Prostate-cancer-specific PET is a relatively new technology that provides great value to the evaluation of newly diagnosed, treated, and recurrent prostate cancer. However, its ideal use in treatment decision making, staging, recurrence detection, and surveillance necessitates further research. Continued study of both imaging modalities will allow for an improved understanding of their best utilization in improving cancer care.