Radiopharmaceutical developer Cytogen of Princeton, NJ, is reporting that its ProstaScint imaging agent could have applications in guiding brachytherapy treatment of prostate cancer.
According to research presented at this month’s RSNA conference, investigators at University Hospitals of Cleveland used ProstaScint in conjunction with CT scanning to localize areas of disease in the prostate gland in 43 patients. The researchers were then able to individualize brachytherapy treatment to each patient by placing additional radioactive seeds in areas of high ProstaScint uptake, while decreasing dose to normal areas.
The University Hospitals investigators plan to continue their research, and believe that ProstaScint could be applicable to 3-D conformal radiotherapy with intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) to target regions within the prostate gland that could receive higher brachytherapy doses.
Cytogen executives said that the company could pursue new brachytherapy applications for ProstaScint. ProstaScint is currently indicated for the staging of newly diagnosed prostate cancer patients who are at high risk for lymph node metastases, or for patients who have failed primary therapy for prostate cancer.
By AuntMinnie.com staff writersDecember 3, 1999
