Prognostic value of preoperative gallium-68 prostate-specific membrane antigen PET/computed tomography in predicting biochemical recurrence after radical prostatectomy.

Abstract

ObjectivesThis study evaluated the prognostic value of intraprostatic maximum standardized uptake value (SUV max ) on primary-staging gallium-68 prostate-specific membrane antigen ( 68 Ga-PSMA) PET/computed tomography for predicting biochemical recurrence (BCR) and BCR-free survival after margin-negative radical prostatectomy, and explored an SUV max cutoff.MethodsThis retrospective study included 78 men (2023-2024) who underwent preoperative 68 Ga-PSMA PET/computed tomography, all reevaluated by an experienced nuclear medicine physician. BCR was defined as prostate-specific antigen at least 0.2 ng/ml on two consecutive tests. Follow up duration and time to recurrence were recorded. Mann-Whitney U, χ 2 , receiver operating characteristic, Kaplan-Meier, and Cox regression analyses were performed.ResultsBCR occurred in 21 of 78 patients (26.9%). Median follow up was 18 months, and median time to BCR was 12 months. Intraprostatic SUV max was significantly higher in patients with BCR ( P ConclusionsIntraprostatic SUV max appears to be an exploratory imaging biomarker associated with postoperative BCR and shorter BCR-free survival rather than a stand-alone prognostic determinant. Larger prospective multicenter studies are needed for validation.