The Utility of Molecular Imaging in Prostate Cancer

Abstract

Prostate cancer is the commonest solid-organ cancer diagnosed in males and represents an important source of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Imaging plays a crucial role in diagnosing prostate cancer and informs the ongoing management of the disease at all stages. Several novel molecular imaging technologies have been developed recently that have the potential to revolutionise disease diagnosis and the surveillance of patients living with prostate cancer. These innovations include hyperpolarised MRI, choline PET/CT and PSMA PET/CT. The major utility of choline and PSMA PET/CT currently lies in their sensitivity for detecting early recurrence after radical treatment for prostate cancer and identifying discrete lesions that may be amenable to salvage therapy. Molecular imaging is likely to play a future role in characterising genetic and biochemical signatures in individual tumours, which may be of particular significance as cancer therapies move into an era of precision medicine.