PET imaging in urology: a rapidly growing successful collaboration

Recent Advances in the Management of Hormone-Sensitive Oligometastatic Prostate Cancer

After primary treatment for prostate cancer with either radical prostatectomy or radiotherapy, a significant proportion of patients are at risk of developing metastases. In recent years, a deeper understanding of the underlying biology together with improved imaging techniques and the advent of new therapeutic options including metastases-directed therapies and new drugs have revolutionized the management of low-burden metastatic disease, also known as oligometastatic state. The purpose of this narrative review is to report the recent developments in the management of hormone-sensitive oligometastatic prostate cancer patients.

Radiopharmaceutical preclinical investigation: an accurate and multidisciplinary approach

BACKGROUND

The development of less expensive and pivotal methodologies, capable to support the researchers in the radiopharmaceutical pre-clinical investigations could provide a crucial incentive for developing biomedical research involved in the realization of tailored target therapies.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this pilot study was to evaluate the capability of a digital autoradiography system equipped with a laser scanning device to perform [18F]choline biodistribution evaluation in a xenograft mouse model of prostate cancer.

METHODS

PC3 prostate cancer cells were used to develop xenografts in NOD/SCID mice. The biodistribution of the radiopharmaceutical was evaluated at 30,60 and 120 min after injection in excised organs by using a digital autoradiography system equipped with super resolution laser screen. Histological and immunohistochemical analysis were performed to correlate the [18F]choline uptake with morphological and molecular tumours characteristics.

RESULTS

Data here reported clearly indicate the possibility to perform accurate biodistribution studies by using the digital autoradiographic system equipped with a super resolution screen. Specifically, a significant increase in the [18F]choline inhibitor uptake in PC3 tumours as compared to heart, bowel, liver and kidney at both 30 and 60 min was observed. More important, the digital autoradiographic system showed signal uptake almost exclusively in the PC3 tumors at 60 min post-injection. Noteworthy, immunohistochemical analysis demonstrated a strong overlapping between the [18F]choline uptake and the proliferation index (Ki67 expression).

CONCLUSIONS

The use of autoradiography system in pre-clinical investigations could shed new light on the molecular mechanisms that orchestrate the tissues damage induced by therapeutical radiopharmaceuticals.