Combined PET/MRI Improves Diagnostic Accuracy in Patients with Prostate Cancer: A Prospective Diagnostic Trial

• Published in: Clinical cancer research Vol. 20; no. 12; pp. 3244 - 3253
• Main Authors: HARTENBACH, Markus, HARTENBACH, Sabrina, BECHTLOFF, Winfried, DANZ, Burkhardt, KRAFT, Klaus, KLEMENZ, Burkhard, SPARWASSER, Christoph, HACKER, Marcus
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Philadelphia, PA American Association for Cancer Research 15.06.2014
• Subjects: Aged; Biological and medical sciences; Choline - analogs & derivatives; Follow-Up Studies; Gynecology. Andrology. Obstetrics; Humans; Magnetic Resonance Imaging - methods; Male; Male genital diseases; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Multimodal Imaging; Neoplasm Grading; Neoplasm Staging; Nephrology. Urinary tract diseases; Positron-Emission Tomography - methods; Prognosis; Prospective Studies; Prostatectomy; Prostatic Neoplasms - diagnosis; Prostatic Neoplasms - metabolism; Prostatic Neoplasms - surgery; Radiopharmaceuticals; Sensitivity and Specificity; Tumors; Tumors of the urinary system; Urinary tract. Prostate gland; Radionuclide study; Human; Urinary system disease; Prostate disease; Malignant tumor; Nuclear magnetic resonance imaging; Prospective; Medical imagery; Clinical trial; Diagnosis; Male genital diseases; Prostate cancer; Positron emission tomography; Cancer
• ISSN: 1078-0432; 1557-3265
• DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-13-2653

The pretherapeutic assessment of prostate cancer is challenging and still holds the risk of over- or undertreatment. This prospective trial investigates positron emission tomography (PET) with [(18)F]fluoroethylcholine (FEC) combined with endorectal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for the assessment of primary prostate cancer. Patients with prostate cancer based on needle biopsy findings, scheduled for radical prostatectomy, were assessed by FEC-PET and MRI in identical positioning. After prostatectomy, imaging results were compared with histologic whole-mount sections, and the PET/MRI lesion-based semiquantitative FEC uptake was compared with biopsy Gleason scores and postoperative histology. PET/MRI showed a patient-based sensitivity of 95% (36/38; 95% confidence interval (CI), 82%-99%). The analysis of 128 prostate lesions demonstrated a sensitivity/specificity/positive predictive value/negative predictive value/accuracy of 67%/35%/59%/44%/54% (P = 0.8295) for MRI and 85%/45%/68%/69%/68% (P = 0.0021) for PET, which increased to 84%/80%/85%/78%/82% (P < 0.0001) by combined FEC-PET/MRI in lesions >5 mm (n = 98). For lesions in patients with Gleason >6 tumors (n = 43), MRI and PET achieved 73%/31%/71%/33%/60% (P = 1.0000) and 90%/62%/84%/73%/81% (P = 0.0010), which were improved to 87%/92%/96%/75%/88% (P < 0.0001) by combined PET/MRI. Applying semiquantitative PET analysis, carcinomas with Gleason scores >6 were distinguished from those with Gleason ≤ 6 with a specificity of 90% and a positive predictive value of 83% (P = 0.0011; needle biopsy 71%/60%, P = 0.1071). In a prospective diagnostic trial setting, combined FEC-PET/MRI achieved very high sensitivity in the detection of the dominant malignant lesion of the prostate, and markedly improved upon PET or MRI alone. Noninvasive Gleason score assessment was more precise than needle biopsy in this patient cohort. Hence, FEC-PET/MRI merits further investigation in trials of randomized, multiarm design.