PSMA PET-targeted Biopsy for Prostate Cancer Diagnosis: Initial Experience From a Multicenter Cohort

Objective: To describe the initial experience with PSMA-PET/CT-guided biopsy in European referral centres.

Methods: This multicenter observational cohort study was endorsed by the Young Academic Urologist (YAU) Prostate Cancer Group of the EAU and conducted across 6 tertiary-level European centres. PSMA-guided biopsies were carried out in a cognitive/fusion manner for all the recruited patients with or without MRI-guided biopsies and/or standard biopsy (SB). PCa and clinical significant PCa (csPCA) detection rate (DR) at prostate biopsy was assessed. Uni- and multivariable models were employed to identify features related to csPCA.

Results: Overall, 72 patients were recruited. The topographic location of the dominant lesion depicted by PSMA PET/CT was significantly associated with the location of csPCa, especially in the biopsy naïve cohort. The DR for PCa and csPCa of PSMA-PET/CT-guided biopsies was significantly higher than SB (0.40 ± 0.43 vs 0.23 ± 0.29, and 0.36 ± 0.44 vs 0.21 ± 0.30, respectively, both P <.05) but did not surpass MRI-guided biopsies (0.40 ± 0.43 vs 0.47 ± 0.44, and 0.36 ± 0.44 vs 0.47 ± 0.34, respectively, both P >.05). PSMA-PET/CT-guided biopsy performed better in the biopsy naïve than in the repeated biopsy setting. A SUVmax cut-off value equal to 4.8 provided the best results for detecting csPCa.

Conclusion: Our real-world data illustrate the potentialities of PSMA-PET/CT-guided biopsy in diagnosing PCa. Specifically, in biopsy naïve patients with suspicion of high-risk disease, the use of PSMA-PET/CT-targeted biopsy can be considered. Additionally, in the context of repeated biopsies, a PSMA-PET/CT target biopsy might be advisable over the SB.