Assessing Coronary Artery and Aortic Calcification in Patients with Prostate Cancer Using 18F-Sodium Fluoride PET/Computed Tomography

Abstract

The aim of this study was to assess coronary artery and aortic calcification in healthy controls, angina pectoris patients, and prostate cancer patients using 18F-sodium fluoride PET/computed tomography (NaF-PET/CT). A retrospective analysis compared 33 prostate cancer patients with 33 healthy subjects and 33 patients with angina pectoris. Increased target-to-background ratio (TBR) of the coronary arteries, ascending aorta, aortic arch, and descending aorta was observed in cancer patients compared to healthy controls but not compared to angina pectoris patients. These results demonstrate the feasibility of assessing vascular microcalcification with NaF-PET/CT, with significant differences in uptake according to comorbidities.

Keywords: Angina pectoris; Atherosclerosis; Coronary artery disease; Global assessment; Microcalcification; NaF; PET/CT.