Prostate cancer occurs when certain cells within the prostate gland grow in an uncontrolled, abnormal, manner. The prostate gland is the male organ located next to the bladder that contributes to the production of semen.

PSMA-PET Imaging for Prostate Cancer

Advanced Imaging Technique for the Detection and Visualization of Metastatic Prostate Cancer in Newly Diagnosed Prostate Cancer Patients and those with Recurrent Prostate Cancer

Thirty percent of patients treated for prostate cancer — and more than 50 percent in high-risk cases — eventually develop potentially life-threatening recurrences, which are often detected when their prostate-specific antigen levels start rising on routine blood tests. Unfortunately, standard imaging tests aren’t good at determining where cancer cells are located

What is PSMA-PET, also known as 68Ga-PSMA PET/CT?

68Ga-PSMA PET/CT imaging, or PSMA-PET imaging for short, represents a major advance in detecting prostate cancer. At UCLA, with the availability of PSMA-PET imaging patients now have a new option of detecting prostate cancer cells anywhere in the body more accurately than traditional methods. The PSMA-PET imaging test is currently being offered in a UCLA nuclear medicine clinic as part of a diagnostic clinical trial.