A handful of leading healthcare organizations have released new appropriate use criteria for using prostate-specific membrane antigen PET imaging agents to spot prostate cancer.
The Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, American College of Nuclear Medicine, American Urological Association, Australia and New Zealand Society of Nuclear Medicine and American Society of Clinical Oncology shared the update Wednesday, Sept. 22.
Over the past year, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved two new PSMA-PET agents for prostate cancer. And just last week, the National Comprehensive Cancer Network updated its guidelines to include the new molecular-driven strategies.
“These agents will soon become more widely available,” SNMMI President Richard L. Wahl, MD, said in a statement. “To be sure these important agents are available for patients, it was essential to develop a set of appropriate use criteria for physicians.”
SNMMI created a PSMA-PET Imaging Workgroup to review the literature and develop the new recommendations. Those findings were then brought to the Oregon Health Science University Evidence-Based Practice Center for review to develop final guidelines.
The society said it also plans to create a mobile app with the imaging guidelines for both Apple and Android users.
“This new imaging technology is important news for men with both newly diagnosed and suspected recurrence of prostate cancer and will provide a highly accurate diagnosis,” Wahl added on Wednesday. “We are confident that the appropriate use criteria will be a helpful tool to guide use of this advanced imaging in treatment decisions.”
Matt joined Chicago’s TriMed team in 2018 covering all areas of health imaging after two years reporting on the hospital field. He holds a bachelor’s in English from UIC, and enjoys a good cup of coffee and an interesting documentary.