![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Clinically-significant-prostate-cancer-cells-glow-in-PSMA-PETCT-scan-despite-normal-inconclusive-MRI.jpeg\")
Clinically significant prostate cancer cells glow in PSMA PET\/CT scan despite normal inconclusive MRI Scan SWNS<\/p>\n Clinically significant prostate cancer cells glow in PSMA PET\/CT scan despite normal inconclusive MRI Scan SWNS<\/p>\n
Scans that make prostate cancer cells \u2018glow\u2019 can eliminate the need for invasive biopsies\u2014and they are already available in Australia and Europe.<\/p>\n
The state of the art imaging test uses a molecule that binds to prostate cancer cells, causing them to \u201clight up in a remarkable way\u201d\u2014appearing as bright spots in the scanning image.<\/p>\n
The process could safely halve the number of men who need to undergo a biopsy for suspected prostate cancer following inconclusive results from an MRI scan, said the Australian scientists.<\/p>\n
Their PSMA PET\/CT scan identifies the more aggressive prostate cancer cells, which are potentially harmful and may need treatment\u2014and could help reduce the risk of over-diagnosis by determining which cancers are low-risk and will never cause harm.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s rare to see such strong imaging that could be so powerful in the clinic,\u201d said Dr. James Buteau<\/a>, a nuclear medicine physician at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in Melbourne who led the trial in coordination with St Vincent\u2019s Hospital in Sydney.<\/p>\n A common cause of cancer deaths in men, about 1-in 8 males receive a prostate cancer diagnosis, and they usually undergo an MRI scan to look for abnormal growths.<\/p>\n If MRI results are suspicious or inconclusive, patients usually undergo a biopsy that takes small pieces of prostate tissue and looks for cancer cells, but the invasive procedure can be uncomfortable and sometimes worrying for patients, and is also associated with side effects.<\/p>\n \u201cIncorporating this testing into clinical care could help to address the major challenge of prostate cancer over-diagnosis, which leads to at best unnecessary and at worst harmful treatment for cancers that would never cause any harm.\u201d<\/p>\n CANCER TIPS: Improving Physical Fitness with Cardio May Cut Prostate Cancer Risk by More Than a Third<\/a><\/p>\n The study<\/p>\n The Primary2 trial recruited men considered at higher risk of prostate cancer\u2014such as having a strong family history\u2014and randomly assigned them to get either a standard biopsy or a PSMA PET\/CT scan.<\/p>\n Primary2 found that PSMA PET\/CT scanning could identify people who either did not have cancer, or whose cancer was so low-risk or slow-growing it would likely never cause harm.<\/p>\n Those patients did not need a biopsy, while patients with a \u2018positive result\u2019 for cancer according to the PSMA PET\/CT scan had a biopsy.<\/p>\n Researchers say the approach halved the number of patients who needed a biopsy, without missing any harmful cancers.<\/p>\n For patients who still needed a biopsy, their scan results ensured the procedure was targeted to the suspicious areas identified in the test to minimize complications and improve accuracy.<\/p>\n PROSTATE PROTECTION: The results are the first released from the Primary2 trial, which will follow the 660 patients for two years.<\/p>\n Already, the PSMA PET\/CT scan is widely available in Australia, and it is becoming increasingly accessible in the UK and Europe, primarily for diagnosing high-risk or recurrent prostate cancer\u2014but its cost and availability remain limitations to widespread use.<\/p>\n \u201cPSMA PET\/CT scanning makes prostate cancer cells light up in a remarkable way, particularly in more aggressive cancers,\u201d said Dr. Buteau.<\/p>\n \u201cGetting told you have a risk of prostate cancer is a huge cause of anxiety and concern,\u201d said study co-leader Professor Louise Emmett.<\/p>\n \u201cOur findings show that PSMA PET\/CT after MRI offers a \u2018belt-and-braces\u2019 approach that can determine which people have a clinically significant cancer, and which people are at low risk and don\u2019t need a biopsy or further testing.\u201d<\/p>\n Primary2 is the largest of a series of studies undertaken by the team, exploring whether PSMA PET\/CT scanning could improve prostate cancer diagnosis and reduce unnecessary biopsies for patients.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Glowing-prostate-cancer-cells-PSMA-PET-CT-Scan-SWNS-SQUARE.jpg\")
Glowing prostate cancer cells PSMA PET\/CT Scan \u2013 SWNS<\/p>\n
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