New scan improves survival rates for men with recurrent prostate cancer, Canadian study finds

New scanning technique could change way prostate cancer is detected and treated. CTV London’s Reta Ismail has more.

A Canadian-led study is being hailed as a game changer in the fight against prostate cancer.

Researchers from London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC), Lawson Health Research Institute and University Health Network have found that an imaging scan known as PSMA PET is significantly more effective than conventional methods at detecting recurrent prostate cancer and its helping patients live longer.

“For men who have had treatment for prostate cancer, one of the frustrating clinical situations we face is when their PSA blood test starts going up,” said Dr. Glenn Bauman, a scientist at Lawson and a radiation oncologist at London Health Sciences Centre. “This makes us worry the cancer is returning, but traditional bone and CT scans often can’t show us where it is. PSMA PET imaging was designed to fill that gap.”

The study, which spanned seven years and involved thousands of patients, found PSMA PET detected recurrent cancer in 70 per cent of cases. In comparison, standard bone and CT scans only identified cancer in 10 to 20 per cent of cases.

Almost 90 per cent of men whose cancer was detected with PSMA PET had their treatment plans altered as a result. Those personalized treatment plans made a measurable impact, those patients lived longer than men who were treated based on standard imaging.

“Really, what the PET scan allows us to do is tailor treatments to each man’s specific circumstances,” Bauman said. “If we’re concerned about a recurrence, we can now offer treatments that are most appropriate for their situation.”

The technology was first introduced in Canada by the research team in 2016. Now, thanks to the strength of this study, PSMA PET scans are publicly funded in Ontario for men with advanced prostate cancer, a major advancement in cancer care across the province.