[PET-CT and PET-MRI of the prostate : From (18)F-FDG to (68)Ga-PSMA]

CLINICAL/METHODICAL ISSUE: In the last few years nuclear medical diagnostics have experienced a unprecedented renaissance in the diagnostics of prostate cancer, due to the availability of hybrid imaging with positron emission tomography computed tomography (PET/CT), PET magnetic resonance imaging (PET/MRI) and single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) CT as well as the development of prostate-specific radiopharmaceuticals. METHODICAL INNOVATIONS: The use of fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG), which has been successfully implemented for many years in PET diagnostics, is only helpful in dedifferentiated tumors due to the biological characteristics of prostate cancer. New specific radiopharmaceuticals, such as choline-derivatives, which are incorporated into the prostate cancer cell and built into the cell membrane as well as the recently developed highly specific ligands for prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) are revolutionizing prostate cancer imaging and (re-) staging. PRACTICAL RECOMMENDATIONS: The (68) Ga-labeled PSMA ligands for PET-CT and PET-MRI are highly specific tracers for primary diagnostics and detection of metastases of prostate carcinoma. In risk patients, which includes patients with intermediate and high-risk tumors, they have largely replaced choline-based PET-CT, especially in the case of very low PSA values