ABSTRACT
Prostate cancer (PCa) is the most frequent cancer in men in the Western world. Unfortunately, commonly available imaging modalities have not been shown to significantly improve diagnostic precision. Also, the spread of this disease cannot be cured with current therapies. There is, thus, an unmet need for novel radiopharmaceuticals, applicable for specific imaging and therapy of PCa. Several promising molecularly specific radiolabelled ligands and antibodies are currently under clinical evaluation. In this chapter, we summarize contemporary radionuclide-based clinical methods applicable for PCa diagnosis and therapy, but also some of the most promising compounds that are under preclinical and early clinical development. The anatomy and physiology of normal and malignant prostate is summarized. The radionuclides used for diagnostics and therapy are specified. Radiochemical methods used are reviewed. Ligands and molecules used for diagnosis and therapy are described. The absorbed doses for diagnostic and therapeutic use of PCa radiopharmaceuticals have been summarized. The high impact on dose planning in external beam radiation therapy with the use of imaging of PCa is highlighted. Future aspects such as image-guided surgery and interesting new preclinical studies are given. The chapter presents the basic information of the state of the art of today’s radionuclide-based diagnostic and therapeutic modalities and a good basis for further studies of the scientific literature of PCa.
