The Study
Prospective comparison of 18F-PSMA-1007 PET/CT, whole-body MRI and CT in primary nodal staging of unfavourable intermediate- and high-risk prostate cancer
This study found that a new kind of scan (18F-PSMA-1007 PET/CT) is better at spotting tiny cancer spots in the pelvis than older scans like MRI and CT — but it didn’t prove that using this scan helps patients live longer or feel better. It just shows the scan finds more cancer spots.
Analysis score
Maximum 44 for a cross-sectional study.
Where the score came from
Doctors use scans to see if prostate cancer has spread to nearby lymph nodes. This new scan (PSMA PET/CT) finds more cancer than older scans like MRI and CT.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 544 / 100
Quality score
Snapshots of a population at a single point in time, or descriptions of small groups. Can identify correlations and prevalence, but cannot determine cause and effect.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Yes — missing cancer means patients might get the wrong treatment.
- 2This scan finds more hidden cancer, helping doctors choose better treatments.
- 3PSMA PET/CT found cancer in 87% of cases, MRI found it in 45%, and CT found it in 26%.
- 4PSMA found cancer in 26% of cases where MRI and CT missed it.
- 5It saw cancer in tiny nodes under 8mm that others couldn't.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
European Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging
Year
2021
Authors
S. Malaspina, M. Anttinen, P. Taimen, I. Jambor, M. Sandell, I. Rinta-Kiikka, S. Kajander, J. Schildt, E. Saukko, T. Noponen, J. Saunavaara, P. Dean, R. Sequeiros, H. Aronen, J. Kemppainen, M. Seppänen, P. Boström, O. Ettala
Related Content
Claims (6)
A special kind of scan called 18F-PSMA-1007 PET/CT can find small cancer spots in the pelvis that regular CT or MRI scans miss—especially those smaller than 8 mm—because it sees things differently than just looking at shape and size.
For about 1 in 4 men with cancer spread to the pelvic lymph nodes, a special PET scan called 18F-PSMA-1007 found the cancer when regular MRI and CT scans didn’t see anything — meaning this new scan might catch things others miss.
A special kind of scan called 18F-PSMA-1007 PET/CT is really good at telling apart cancerous lymph nodes in the pelvis from harmless ones in men with high-risk prostate cancer — it hardly ever makes a mistake and is just as accurate as MRI or CT scans.
A new kind of scan called 18F-PSMA-1007 PET/CT is much better at finding tiny cancer spread in the pelvis than older scans like MRI or CT — it catches cancer in nearly 9 out of 10 men where other scans miss it, and it can see really small tumors that regular scans can’t even spot.
Sometimes, a full-body MRI scan might miss a serious problem, making doctors think everything’s fine when it’s not — and that delay could lead to really bad health results.
A special type of scan called 18F-PSMA-1007 PET/CT helps doctors agree more often on whether cancer has spread to the pelvic lymph nodes than other scans like MRI or CT — it’s like everyone using this scan sees the same thing, while others keep disagreeing.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.