title: Influence of (11)C-choline PET/CT on the treatment planning for salvage radiation therapy in patients with biochemical recurrence of prostate cancer.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The present study evaluates the incidence of (11)C-choline PET/CT positive findings in patients with recurrent prostate cancer referred for salvage radiotherapy (SRT) and the influence on the definition of the planning target volume (PTV).
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty-seven patients treated with radical prostatectomy and referred to SRT to the prostatic fossa because of biochemical relapse, were analysed retrospectively. All patients underwent (11)C-choline PET/CT before radiotherapy. The influence of PET/CT on the extent of the PTV was analysed. The median total follow up after SRT was 51.2 months.
  
  
  RESULTS
  11/37 (30%) patients had a positive finding in the (11)C-choline PET/CT, 5 (13%) outside of the prostatic fossa (iliac lymph nodes), implicating an extension of the PTV. Patients with positive (11)C-choline PET/CT had a significant higher PSA value than patients with no pathologic uptake (p=0.03). Overall, at the end of follow up 56% of the patients had a PSA ≤ 0.2ng/ml and 44% had a biochemical relapse of prostate cancer.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  (11)C-choline PET/CT detects abnormalities outside of the prostatic fossa in 13% of patients referred for SRT because of biochemical relapse after radical prostatectomy, affecting the extent of the PTV. Prospective studies need to be implemented to evaluate the benefit of SRT with a PTV based on (11)C-choline PET/CT.
authors.affiliation: Nuklearmedizinische Klinik und Poliklinik, Technische Universität München, Germany. msouvatz@yahoo.de
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Souvatzoglou
authors.forename: Bernd J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Krause
authors.forename: Anja
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pürschel
authors.forename: Reinhard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Thamm
authors.forename: Tibor
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Schuster
authors.forename: Andreas K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Buck
authors.forename: Frank
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Zimmermann
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Molls
authors.forename: Markus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schwaiger
authors.forename: Hans
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Geinitz
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002250:Carbon Radioisotopes; D002794:Choline; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020360:Neoadjuvant Therapy; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000097:blood / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography / Q000379:methods*; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen / Q000097:blood; D011468:Prostatectomy; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D011857:Radiographic Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted; D011880:Radiotherapy Planning, Computer-Assisted; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016879:Salvage Therapy; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D002250:Carbon Radioisotopes; D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen; D002794:Choline