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Multicenter Study
. 2022 Feb;63(2):226-232.
doi: 10.2967/jnumed.121.261906. Epub 2021 May 28.

Tumor Sink Effect in 68Ga-PSMA-11 PET: Myth or Reality?

Andrei Gafita  1   2 , Hui Wang  2 , Andrew Robertson  2 , Wesley R Armstrong  3 , Raphael Zaum  2 , Manuel Weber  4 , Farid Yagubbayli  2 , Clemens Kratochwil  5 , Tristan R Grogan  6 , Kathleen Nguyen  3 , Fernando Navarro  2   7 , Rouzbeh Esfandiari  8 , Isabel Rauscher  2 , Bjoern Menze  7   9 , David Elashoff  6 , Ebrahim S Delpassand  8 , Ken Herrmann  4 , Johannes Czernin  3 , Michael S Hofman  10 , Jeremie Calais  3 , Wolfgang P Fendler  4 , Matthias Eiber  2
Affiliations
Multicenter Study

Tumor Sink Effect in 68Ga-PSMA-11 PET: Myth or Reality?

Andrei Gafita et al. J Nucl Med. 2022 Feb.

Abstract

We aimed to systematically determine the impact of tumor burden on 68Ga-prostate-specific membrane antigen-11 (68Ga-PSMA) PET biodistribution by the use of quantitative measurements. Methods: This international multicenter, retrospective analysis included 406 men with prostate cancer who underwent 68Ga-PSMA PET/CT. Of these, 356 had positive findings and were stratified by quintiles into a very low (quintile 1, ≤25 cm3), low (quintile 2, 25-189 cm3), moderate (quintile 3, 189-532 cm3), high (quintile 4, 532-1,355 cm3), or very high (quintile 5, ≥1,355 cm3) total PSMA-positive tumor volume (PSMA-VOL). PSMA-VOL was obtained by semiautomatic segmentation of total tumor lesions using qPSMA software. Fifty prostate cancer patients with no PSMA-positive lesions (negative scan) served as a control group. Normal organs, which included salivary glands, liver, spleen, and kidneys, were semiautomatically segmented using 68Ga-PSMA PET images, and SUVmean was obtained. Correlations between the SUVmean of normal organs and PSMA-VOL as continuous and categoric variables by quintiles were evaluated. Results: The median PSMA-VOL was 302 cm3 (interquartile range [IQR], 47-1,076 cm3). The median SUVmean of salivary glands, kidneys, liver, and spleen was 10.0 (IQR, 7.7-11.8), 26.0 (IQR, 20.0-33.4), 3.7 (IQR, 3.0-4.7), and 5.3 (IQR, 4.0-7.2), respectively. PSMA-VOL showed a moderate negative correlation with the SUVmean of the salivary glands (r = -0.44, P < 0.001), kidneys (r = -0.34, P < 0.001), and liver (r = -0.30, P < 0.001) and a weak negative correlation with the spleen SUVmean (r = -0.16, P = 0.002). Patients with a very high PSMA-VOL (quintile 5, ≥1,355 cm3) had a significantly lower PSMA uptake in the salivary glands, kidneys, liver, and spleen than did the control group, with an average difference of -38.1%, -40.0%, -43.2%, and -34.9%, respectively (P < 0.001). Conclusion: Tumor sequestration affects 68Ga-PSMA biodistribution in normal organs. Patients with a very high tumor load showed a significantly lower uptake of 68Ga-PSMA in normal organs, confirming a tumor sink effect. As similar effects might occur with PSMA-targeted radioligand therapy, these patients might benefit from increased therapeutic activity without exceeding the radiation dose limit for organs at risk.

Keywords: Ga-PSMA; PET; PSMA; prostate cancer; radioligand therapy; tumor sink effect.

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Figures

None
Graphical abstract
FIGURE 1.
FIGURE 1.
Study flowchart. mCRPC = metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer; mHSPC = metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer; Q = quintile.
FIGURE 2.
FIGURE 2.
SUVmean of normal organs. Horizontal lines represent median value.
FIGURE 3.
FIGURE 3.
Examples of maximum-intensity-projection images of PSMA PET for each tumor load group. PSMA-positive tumor segmentation is highlighted in red.
FIGURE 4.
FIGURE 4.
SUVmean of normal organs stratified by tumor load.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Comment in

  • Thoughts on "Tumor Sink Effect in 68Ga-PSMA-11 PET: Myth or Reality?".
    Privé BM, Peters SMB, Uijen MJM, Janssen MJR, van Gemert WAM, Kreissl MC, Ezzidin S, Konijnenberg MW, Nagarajah J. Privé BM, et al. J Nucl Med. 2022 Jul;63(7):1124-1125. doi: 10.2967/jnumed.122.263802. Epub 2022 Jan 13. J Nucl Med. 2022. PMID: 35027370 No abstract available.
  • Tumor Sink Effect: Myth or Reality?
    Gafita A, Calais J, Fendler WP, Eiber M. Gafita A, et al. J Nucl Med. 2022 Jul;63(7):1124. doi: 10.2967/jnumed.122.264119. Epub 2022 Apr 28. J Nucl Med. 2022. PMID: 35483966 No abstract available.

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