The scan detects where the cancer is not present and where treatment is not needed.
Recurrent cancer signaled by a rising PSA is not always due to metastases.
PSA can also be elevated due to growing cancer that has metastasized to the lymph nodes or bones.
Hero Images / Getty Images
This is called a systemic recurrence.
Systemic recurrences are tremendously more dangerous than local recurrences.
As we have said, the capacity for cancer to spread is what makes the cancer truly dangerous.
Aggressive treatments can be associated with serious side effects.
The AxuminPET scanworks by detecting themetabolic activity of the cancer itself.
Axumin exploits the fact that prostate cancers absorb amino acids at a much more rapid pace than normal cells.
Axumin consists of a radioactive tracer linked to an amino acid.
After treatment, men may achieve a sharp reduction in PSAperhaps from the 100s down to 10 or less.
Detecting early metastatic disease in the lymph nodes in newly-diagnosed men is a high priority.
Patients who have metastatic disease detected have higher cure rates if they receive aggressive therapy with Taxotere and Lupron.
This is the case with any new technology.
Some practices have older technology and the capacity to detect small metastatic sites will be less efficient.
These centers of excellence are likely more knowledgeable to read these scans properly.
PSMA ligands can be linked to more powerful radioactive substances that are strong enough to kill the cancer cells.
These scans represent a remarkable breakthrough.
Now that the FDA has approved this technology, insurance companies start exploring ways to offer coverage.
Medicare was the first insurance company to cover it.
More specifically, the specific genetic mutations that cause uncontrolled cellular growth have been elucidated.
Mutated genes are what makes cancer cells different from normal cells.
Think of how a software patch might be written by a computer programmer to fix a computer glitch.
A randomly selected chemical would be administered to cancer cells growing inPetri dishes.
If the chemical caused the cancer cells to die, it would be administered to animals with cancer.
If the cancer regressed and the animal lived, it would be tested in humans.
Successful human trials would then lead to FDA approval and the commercial availability of a new treatment.
A systematic review.BJU Int.
2018;59(5):733-739. doi:10.2967/jnumed.117.204032
UCLA Health.IMRT and you.
