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Androgen deprivation therapy influences the uptake of 11C-choline in patients with recurrent prostate cancer: the preliminary results of a sequential PET/CT study

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Abstract

Purpose

The influence of androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) on 11C-choline uptake in patients with prostate cancer (PC) has not yet been clarified. The aim of our study was to investigate this issue by means of sequential 11C-choline positron emission tomography (PET)/CT in patients with recurrent PC.

Methods

We retrospectively studied 14 recurrent PC patients (mean age 67 years, range 55–82) during follow-up after radical prostatectomy (RP) with rising serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels. All patients had undergone at least two consecutive 11C-choline PET/CT scans: the first 11C-choline PET/CT before commencing ADT and the second 11C-choline PET/CT after 6 months of ADT administration.

Results

The mean serum PSA level before ADT was 17.0 ± 44.1 ng/ml. After 6 months of ADT administration the PSA value significantly decreased in comparison to baseline (PSA = 2.4 ± 3.1 ng/ml, p < .025). Moreover, before starting ADT, 13 of 14 patients had positive 11C-choline PET/CT for metastatic spread, while after 6 months of ADT administration in 9 of 14 patients 11C-choline PET/CT became negative.

Conclusion

These preliminary results suggest that ADT significantly reduces 11C-choline uptake in androgen-sensitive PC patients.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Nuclear Medicine, PAD. 30, Sant’Orsola-Malpighi Hospital, University of Bologna, Via Massarenti 9, 40138, Bologna, Italy

    Chiara Fuccio, Paolo Castellucci, Monica Celli, Claudio Malizia, Vincenzina Pettinato & Stefano Fanti

  2. Department of Urology, Sant’Orsola-Malpighi Hospital, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy

    Riccardo Schiavina & Giuseppe Martorana

  3. Department of Nuclear Medicine, Santa Maria della Misericordia Hospital, Rovigo, Italy

    Domenico Rubello & Maria Cristina Marzola

  4. Servei Medicina Nuclear Hospital, Vall D’Hebron, Barcelona, Spain

    Marta Barios Profitos

  5. Department of Nuclear Medicine, Radiology, Medical Physics, Service of Nuclear Medicine, PET/CT Centre, S. Maria della Misericordia Hospital, Via Tre Martiri 89, 45100, Rovigo, Italy

    Domenico Rubello

Authors
  1. Chiara Fuccio
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  2. Riccardo Schiavina
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  3. Paolo Castellucci
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  4. Domenico Rubello
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  5. Giuseppe Martorana
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  6. Monica Celli
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  7. Claudio Malizia
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  8. Marta Barios Profitos
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  9. Maria Cristina Marzola
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  10. Vincenzina Pettinato
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  11. Stefano Fanti
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Domenico Rubello.

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Fuccio, C., Schiavina, R., Castellucci, P. et al. Androgen deprivation therapy influences the uptake of 11C-choline in patients with recurrent prostate cancer: the preliminary results of a sequential PET/CT study. Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging 38, 1985–1989 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00259-011-1867-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00259-011-1867-0

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