For the first time, researchers have mapped patterns of prostate
cancer recurrence following surgery, which may help doctors choose the
best treatment for men whose prostate cancer has returned. The findings
were published online Oct. 5, 2016, by the Journal of Urology.
About 30% of men who have surgery aimed to cure localized prostate
cancer will still have a recurrence, according to the researchers.
Traditionally, doctors monitor for recurrent cancer using blood tests
for levels of prostate-specific antigen (PSA). PSA levels after surgery
should be close to zero, and rising levels suggest the cancer has
returned. If PSA levels are very high, then finding where the cancer has
spread is usually straightforward. But when the PSA level rises just a
little, standard imaging tests often cannot detect where that spread has
occurred.
To help define the exact areas of cancer spread in men who had a
slight rise in PSA, the researchers used a combination of two scanning
technologies: C-11 choline PET scanning and multiparametric MRI. The
pairing of the two tests helped identify whether the spread was just
around the area of the original surgery or farther away.
The newer imaging technologies may allow for quicker detection of
spreading cancer, regardless of its location, than conventional imaging
and thus help men get early treatment.
Hello, my name is Usman Khan. I'm a 27 year old self-employed from Lahore.
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