Renal Cell Carcinoma: the Oncologist Asks, Can PSMA PET/CT Answer?

Abstract

Purpose of review: To critically review the potential clinical applications of prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) radioactive ligands in renal cell carcinoma (RCC).

Recent findings: Radioactive probes targeting PSMA hold promise in several malignancies in addition to prostate cancer, owing to the expression of PSMA by tumor neovasculature. The majority of clear cell RCCs (ccRCC), the most malignant RCC subtype, express PSMA on tumor-associated neovasculature. The endothelium of less aggressive RCC subtypes is PSMA positive in a lower, but still significant percentage of cases. PSMA might therefore represent an interesting theragnostic target in RCC. The preliminary data available suggest a potential role for PSMA-targeting radiopharmaceuticals in complementing conventional imaging for staging ccRCC patients at risk of nodal involvement and oligometastatic disease. Additional applications of PSMA imaging may be the selection and the response assessment of patients receiving anti-angiogenic treatments. The effectiveness of PSMA-targeting radionuclide therapy should also be investigated.

Keywords: Diagnostic imaging; Neoangiogenesis; Positron-emission tomography; Prostate-specific membrane antigen; Renal cell carcinoma; Response assessment.