Value of Combined PET Imaging with [18F]FDG and [68Ga]Ga-PSMA-11 in mCRPC Patients with Worsening Disease during [177Lu]Lu-PSMA-617 RLT

Abstract

Despite the promising results of prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA)-targeted radioligand therapy (RLT) in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC), some patients show worsening disease during PSMA-RLT. We investigated the value of combined [18F]FDG and [ 68Ga]Ga-PSMA-11 PET imaging in this setting. In n = 29 mCRPC patients with worsening disease after a median of four cycles of [177Lu]Lu-PSMA-617 RLT, combined [18F]FDG and [68Ga]Ga-PSMA11 PET imaging was performed to detect [18F]FDG-avid lesions with low or no PSMA expression (mismatch lesions). To evaluate prognostic implication of mismatch, survival analyses regarding presence, location, and [18F]FDG PET-derived parameters such as SUVmax, metabolic tumor volume (MTVm), and total lesion glycolysis (TLGm) of mismatch findings were performed. Seventeen patients (59%) showed at least one mismatch metastasis. From the time point of combined PET imaging, the median overall survival (OS) of patients with mismatch findings was significantly (p = 0.008) shorter than those without (3.3 vs. 6.1 mo). Patients with a high MTVm revealed a significantly (p = 0.034) shorter OS of 2.6 mo than patients with low MTVm (5.3 mo). Furthermore, patients with hepatic mismatch showed a significantly (p = 0.049) shorter OS than those without (2.9 vs. 5.3 mo). Difference in OS regarding SUVmax and TLGm was not significant. In mCRPC patients with worsening disease during PSMA-RLT, combined [18F]FDG and [68Ga]Ga-PSMA-11 PET imaging is essential to identify mismatch findings, as these are associated with poor outcomes requiring a change in therapy management.