Hello all, wondering if anyone can tell me where in the US I can go to have a GA 68 PSMA Pet scan done. I am Canadian and the waiting list for the clinical trial here is 12 months. I would like to find out where my recurrence is located in order to seek early treatment.
Thanks
I see on an earlier post that you had a PSMA scan 9 months ago. What is purpose of having another one? What is your current PSA? The reason I ask is that PSMA PET scans in the US are only available through clinical trials (and most of them charge for it), so you would have to fall into their target group.
Or pay out of pocket. $3,000 +/- @ UCLA.
Had the last scan July 26th 2018. Found a 2mm mass on a lymph node that was surgically removed.. PSA started to rise 3 months ago and is now sitting at 2. Want to find out where it is to determine treatment options. I paidforitlast time and will do so again. Is there a concern with having 2 such scans 1 Year apart? Am trying to avoid more hormone therapy if possible. Wide open to any suggestions and/or advice at this point, you are a wealth of knowledge!
There really are no data to show that playing whack-a-mole with metastases is of any benefit. There are data that show that systemic therapy with ADT is beneficial. If it was a pelvic lymph node, there's probably a lot more (that you will never be able to see) where that came from. There are data that suggest that irradiating the entire pelvic lymph node field may confer a survival benefit. It is a self-fulfilling prophesy to wait for mets to be big enough to see before beginning systemic therapy - that will ensure progression.
I have been following the posts here for months, thought I was pretty well informed, but posters like Tall Allen and others are way ahead of me. I am completely confused. Here's why:
Current age 78, excellent health otherwise
Prostatectomy Jan, 2012. Other than gland (3,4) 10% one side, 5% other, T2cNO, all negative.
Jan, 2016 PSA 0.2
Jan 2017 PSA 0.3
Apr-June 2017 salvage radiation
July 2017 PSA 0.46. RO wanted to start Lupron; I declined.
Mar 2018 consult at Johns Hopkins: Leading MO there said to wait before beginning ADT. He offered that they usually don't see mets until PSA of 20 (twenty) or so.
2019 Consult at MSK, where wife being treated for MBladderC by Dr. Jonathan Rosenberg, who referred me to doc on his staff. That MO said I did "the right thing" by refusing ADT at 0.46. Said that doubling time (10 months) is "low risk."
2019 PSA continues to rise, now 2.98. Having PSMA scan Monday, Sep 9 at MSK.
So 2 docs at 2 leading institutions don't seem to be in any hurry to begin ADT, which is at odds with the many posts here, where ADT begins at much lower PSA levels.
Also have read Johns Hopkins pubs estimating outcomes based on Gleason, post-surgery time to recurrence, and doubling time. If I read these correctly, 10 and 15 year favorable survival probability.
I would appreciate any thoughts from the crowd. Many thanks in advance.
Why don't you see what the PET scan tells you first? Please start a new thread when you get the results.
Thanks Tall. Will do. results to be reviewed Sep 20.
Will do, thanks so much for your input.
A Germanium-68/Gallium-68 Generator is a device used to extract the positron-emitting isotope 68Ga of gallium from a source of decaying germanium-68. The parent isotope 68Ge has a half-life of 271 days and can be easily utilized for in-hospital production of generator produced Ga-68. Its decay product gallium-68 (with a half-life of only 68 minutes, inconvenient for transport) is extracted and used for certain positron emission tomography nuclear medicine diagnostic procedures, where the radioisotope's relatively short half-life and emission of positrons for creation of 3-dimensional PET scans, are useful.
As you can see, just obtaining the Ga-68 isotope is a difficult, tricky process. Even the few places that do the Ga-68 PSMA scan limit the patients to 2 or 3 a day because that's all the Ga-68 material they can make...The 68 minute half-life really limits the widespread use of this scan..Paying for it is another issue altogether..
Thanks very much for the detailed information, Fairwind.
Had the last scan July 26th 2018. Found a 2mm mass on a lymph node that was surgically removed.. PSA started to rise 3 months ago and is now sitting at 2. Want to find out where it is to determine treatment options. I paidforitlast time and will do so again. Is there a concern with having 2 such scans 1 Year apart? Am trying to avoid more hormone therapy if possible. Wide open to any suggestions and/or advice at this point, you are a wealth of knowledge!
I had 3 in 6 months.
In this year 2019, thus far, I have had 3 scans between 23rd Feb and 2nd July. That is in about 128 days or a little over 4 months.
The first scan conclusively told me that docetaxel was not working. The third scan told me that Lu-177 was a complete failure.
So, for me, it was well worth taking these scans.
I hope you're doing OK. My doctor told me to go to Israel for Lu177 treatment. Could you tell me where you received your treatment. Would be really grateful for a replyElliot Mazur
Hello, have not had the Lu177 yet, luckily am holding on Daralutimide and zoladex. For Lu177, I have heard nothing but good things about Dr. Nat Lenzo in Australia. Godspeed and keep us posted.
Ga 68 PSMA PET/CT could be done at UCLA. It cost $ 2800. 18 F DCFpyl PET/CT (similar to Ga 68 PSMA, perhaps better detection rate) can be done at Stanford. Both places requires recurrent PC with a a PSA greater than 0.2
Stanford
Pranav Hegde
Clinical Research Coordinator Associate
Cancer Clinical Trials Office - Radiology
800 Welch Road, FC3C70
Palo Alto, CA 94304
Tel: 650-721-4080
Fax: 650-736-2558
UCLA
Rejah Marie Alano
Research Associate
200 Medical Plaza, Suite B114
Los Angeles, CA 90095
Tel: 310 206 73 72
FAX: (310) 206-4899
Not accurate as to the 0.2 requirements. I paid for my test at ucla despite only having a psa of .02. They didn’t seem to have any restrictions if you can write the check for $2,800.
Schwah
That is not what they say on the inclusion criteria of the clinical trial
Criteria
Inclusion Criteria:
Histopathological proven prostate adenocarcinoma
Rising PSA after definitive therapy with prostatectomy or radiation therapy.
Post radical prostatectomy (RP)
PSA equals to or greater than 0.2 ng/mL measured more than 6 weeks after RP
Post-radiation therapy ? American Society for Therapeutic Radiation and Oncology (ASTRO)-Phoenix consensus definition
Nadir + greater than or equal to 2 ng/mL rise in PSA
Karnofsky performance status of >= 50 (or Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group [ECOG]/ World Health Organization [WHO] equivalent)
Ability to understand a written informed consent document, and the willingness to sign it.
clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show...
All I can say is I did it at .02 and they knew I was .02
MONEY TALKS 
University of Michigan Ann arbour has a 2 week wait. Cost for Canadians US5,000.00
Uof M turned me down for test because I still have a prostate gland.
Also, they wanted $ 5000.00 if they could have done the test.
Amazing the BS the US system creates
What a business. University of Heidelberg cost is 900 EUROS..
You might also call the folks at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in NYC. They had a trial going, at least last year. That's where my husband went went.
My MO Dr. Turner told me (just the other day) that such scan is no longer given at UCLA or in Phoenix; that the only facility is in San Diego!?
It is still being done at UCLA. Your MO or PCP can send them a referral note with a brief summary of your case history and up to date labs. If you have had RP or RT and PSA is above 0.2 then you would qualify. About $2700 out of pocket. Rejah Marie Alano is the coordinator for it at UCLA Nuclear Medicine. RMAlano@mednet.ucla.edu Fax for referral is 310 206-4899.
you certainly may be correct but I don't think I misinterpreted my MO. From this MO's referral I have already had such scan at UCLA (for about 2800) and also at a Phoenix facility with Dr. Almeida.
Wow. Dr Turned prescribed mine just 3 months ago. I wonder why? It was showing such promise.
Schwah
Hi Flydoggy,
There are a number of places to get a PSMA, as others have mentioned. We (in Phoenix) have shifted away from C11-Acetate (completed our multiyear protocol last February) to referring our folks to PSMA, as this just has more industry momentum behind it in general - I will spare you a dissertation on our evolution of PCa imaging over the last decade, but suffice it to say that PSMA imaging is the direction that makes the most sense and at the end of the day my interest is in the most useful tools for our clients. Michigan, UCSF, UCLA and a few others have active protocols which can be accessed. I coordinate (all of the details) getting the PSMAs for my clients and do expert over-read of these as there are mostly novices out there doing these at the moment (when radiology residence at the teaching institutions read these, they often miss things - nature of the learning curve/process). Many MO, including Dr. J Turner at POS routinely send me the studies for expert review. Getting the interpretation correct on these is critical if it is to be used to guide treatment. We also coordinate for specific treatments as necessary based on the imaging results and clinical situation. My practice if additionally focused on whole person integrative care (combining holistic, lifestyle and traditional medicine). If you are interested in this type of assistance please give our office a call. Dr. Fabio Almeida 480-881-5621
Loma linda in So Cal
Breach Candy Hospital, Bombay, India.
INR 25, 000/- per scan. Approx US$ 350, where one US$ = INR 72.-
Has anyone taken 18F-PSMA PET/CT (different from 18F-DCFPyL PET/CT)?
It is newer, supposed to have detection sensitivity in par with 68Ga-PSMA PET/CT and does not require a generator at the test site, thing that makes it less expensive.
Sorry ignore my post as this is not PSMA scan!!!
