Based on a randomized study from Emory University and reported at the recent American Society for Radiation Oncology, radiation treatment based upon Axumin (fluciclovine 18F) PET/CT reduces treatment failure rates in men with recurrent prostate cancer.
From 2012 to 2019, EMPIRE-1 (Emory Molecular Prostate Imaging for Radiotherapy Enhancement) randomly selected 165 patients with recurrent prostate adenocarcinoma after prostatectomy surgery. The control group received only conventional imaging, whereas the study arm received conventional imaging plus Axumin (fluciclovine) PET/CT to guide radiation treatment. Comparisons between the two groups found that Axumin PET/CT changed treatment planning in approximately 35% of cases.
In men with recurrent prostate cancer and elevated PSA levels, using Axumin PET/CT to guide radiation therapy to recurrent prostate cancer sites improved disease-free survival.
At 3 years, survival increased from 63.0% to 75.5% and at 4 years, it increased from 51.2% to 75.5% compared to radiation therapy without Axumin guidance.
Lake Medical Imaging has been using Axumin PET/CT imaging to detect recurrent prostate cancer since Axumin became available in 2017.
Reference
Ingram, I. (2020, October 27). “PET-Guided Radiation Boosts Post-Prostatectomy Outcomes.” MedPage Today
