Impact of PSMA-Based Radiopharmaceuticals on the Clinical Management of Prostate Cancer
Simple Summary
Abstract
1. Background
2. Epidemiology, Screening, and Surveillance
3. Mechanism of PSMA
4. Role of PSMA PET/CT in Clinical Management
5. PSMA PET/CT to Guide Treatment Decision-Making
5.1. Influence on Systemic Therapy Selection
5.2. Oligometastatic Disease and MDT
5.3. Intra-Prostatic Dose Escalation
6. Future Directions
7. Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Conflicts of Interest
References
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| Trial, Ref | Year | Population | Role of PSMA PET | Key Finding | Impact on Systemic Therapy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| proPSMA, [23] | 2020 | High-risk localized PCa (pre-treatment staging) | Compared PSMA PET vs. CT + bone scan | Accuracy 92% vs. 65%; management changed in 28% | Upstaging → earlier initiation or escalation of systemic therapy |
| VISION, [26] | 2021 | mCRPC after ARPI + taxane | PSMA PET used to select patients for Lu-177-PSMA | Improved OS and PFS in PSMA-positive patients | Determines eligibility for PSMA-targeted systemic therapy |
| TheraP, [27] | 2021 | mCRPC | PSMA PET used as gatekeeper for therapy | Lu-PSMA superior to cabazitaxel in selected patients | Imaging directs choice between chemo vs. targeted systemic therapy |
| CONDOR, [28] | 2021 | Biochemical recurrence | Assessed impact on management decisions | Management changed in 64% of patients | Frequently altered decision to start, intensify, or change systemic therapy |
| EMPIRE-1, [29] | 2021 | Biochemical recurrence post-RT | Molecular imaging guided treatment planning | Improved progression-free survival | Imaging-guided intensification of systemic and combined therapies |
| Trial, Ref | Year | Population | Imaging | Design | Intervention | Key Results | Clinical Implication |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ORIOLE, [31] | 2020 | Recurrent hormone-sensitive PCa with ≤3 mets | Conventional imaging + PSMA-PET (post hoc) | Randomized (MDT vs. observation) | SABR to all detected mets | Patients with untreated PSMA-avid lesions had significantly worse PFS | PSMA-PET improves patient selection and completeness of MDT |
| Oligo-PELVIS GETUG P07, [34] | 2021 | Pelvic nodal oligorecurrence | Mostly PSMA-PET | Phase II | Whole pelvis RT + MDT + short ADT | 2-yr PFS ~77% | PSMA-PET enables accurate nodal targeting |
| OSPREY, [33] | 2021 | High-risk localized PCa (cohort A) and metastatic PCa (cohort B) | Diagnostic validation using 18F-DCFPyL PSMA-PET | Phase II/III | Accuracy of PSMA-PET for nodal and distant staging | High specificity for nodal disease (>95%); improved detection vs. conventional imaging | Improves staging → impacts choice between local therapy, MDT, and systemic therapy |
| LIGHTHOUSE, [32] | Ongoing (2022–) | Metastatic hormone-sensitive PCa (mHSPC) | PSMA-PET used for patient selection (PSMA expression required) | Phase II | Early use of PSMA radioligand therapy (225Ac-PSMA-I&T) + abiraterone vs. abiraterone alone | Evaluates whether PSMA-targeted therapy improves outcomes when introduced earlier | Establishes PSMA-PET as a companion diagnostic guiding access to intensified systemic therapy |
| Trial/Study | Year | Modality | Population | Role of PSMA PET | Intervention | Key Findings | Clinical Relevance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BULLSEYE, [38] | Ongoing | MDT/focal RT | Oligometastatic recurrence | PSMA-PET defines all lesions to be treated | PSMA-guided SABR vs. standard care | Ongoing | PSMA-PET determines completeness of focal treatment |
| PROBE, [39] | Ongoing | RT focal boost | Primary localized PCa | PSMA-PET for boost volume definition | PSMA-PET-guided boost + standard RT | Feasibility and toxicity endpoints | Formal testing of PSMA-PET as boost-defining tool |
| PRIMARY Trial, [40] | 2021 | Diagnosis → focal planning | Suspected localized PCa | PSMA-PET + MRI improves lesion detection | Diagnostic accuracy study | PSMA-PET improves detection of clinically significant lesions | Supports PSMA-PET–guided focal therapies |
| UCLA PSMA-guided focal therapy cohorts, [41] | 2020–2022 | HIFU/focal laser | Localized PCa | PSMA-PET used to select and target lesions | PSMA-PETguided focal therapy | Improved lesion targeting vs. MRI alone | Supports PSMA-PET for precision focal therapy |
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Share and Cite
Guida, C.; Evangelista, L.; Spadafora, M.; Facchini, G.; Mansi, L. Impact of PSMA-Based Radiopharmaceuticals on the Clinical Management of Prostate Cancer. Cancers 2026, 18, 1799. https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers18111799
Guida C, Evangelista L, Spadafora M, Facchini G, Mansi L. Impact of PSMA-Based Radiopharmaceuticals on the Clinical Management of Prostate Cancer. Cancers. 2026; 18(11):1799. https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers18111799
Chicago/Turabian StyleGuida, Cesare, Laura Evangelista, Marco Spadafora, Gaetano Facchini, and Luigi Mansi. 2026. "Impact of PSMA-Based Radiopharmaceuticals on the Clinical Management of Prostate Cancer" Cancers 18, no. 11: 1799. https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers18111799
APA StyleGuida, C., Evangelista, L., Spadafora, M., Facchini, G., & Mansi, L. (2026). Impact of PSMA-Based Radiopharmaceuticals on the Clinical Management of Prostate Cancer. Cancers, 18(11), 1799. https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers18111799

