This could literally save lives just by understanding the individual nature of each prostate cancer and metastasis.
A study that used whole-body PET imaging with three different tracers assessed the prevalence of intrapatient intermetastatic heterogeneity (IIH) in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC).
IIH refers to the phenomenon where different metastases within the same patient exhibit distinct cancer cell subtypes. The study found a high prevalence of IIH (82.7-83.8%) in mCRPC patients, and the presence of IIH was significantly associated with decreased overall survival. Patients with specific IIH patterns, such as those with 18F-FDG-positive/68Ga-PSMA-617-negative lesions or 68Ga-DOTATATE-positive lesions, had particularly poor survival outcomes.
This research highlights the potential of multi-tracer PET imaging to inform personalized treatment strategies for mCRPC by providing a better understanding of IIH and its impact on prognosis.
Thoughts on next steps
BLUE SKY NEWS - AUGUST 2022