Metabolic Tumour Volume from PSMA PET/CT Scans of Prostate Cancer Patients during Chemotherapy—Do Different Software Solutions Deliver Comparable Results?

• Main Authors: Philipp E. Hartrampf, Marieke Heinrich, Anna Katharina Seitz, Joachim Brumberg, Ioannis Sokolakis, Charis Kalogirou, Andreas Schirbel, Hubert Kübler, Andreas K. Buck, Constantin Lapa, Markus Krebs
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2020-05-01
• Series: Journal of Clinical Medicine
• Subjects: Prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA); metabolic tumour volume (MTV); total lesion PSMA; biomarker; software; comparability
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0383/9/5/1390

(1) Background: Prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA)-derived tumour volume (PSMA-TV) and total lesion PSMA (TL-PSMA) from PSMA PET/CT scans are promising biomarkers for assessing treatment response in prostate cancer (PCa). Currently, it is unclear whether different software tools for assessing PSMA-TV and TL-PSMA produce comparable results. (2) Methods: ⁶⁸Ga-PSMA PET/CT scans from <i>n</i> = 21 patients with castration-resistant PCa (CRPC) receiving chemotherapy were identified from our single-centre database. PSMA-TV and TL-PSMA were calculated with Syngo.via (Siemens) as well as the freely available Beth Israel plugin for FIJI (Fiji Is Just ImageJ) before and after chemotherapy. While statistical comparability was illustrated and quantified via Bland-Altman diagrams, the clinical agreement was estimated by matching PSMA-TV, TL-PSMA and relative changes of both variables during chemotherapy with changes in serum PSA (ΔPSA) and PERCIST (Positron Emission Response Criteria in Solid Tumors). (3) Results: Comparing absolute PSMA-TV and TL-PSMA as well as Bland–Altman plotting revealed a good statistical comparability of both software algorithms. For clinical agreement, classifying therapy response did not differ between PSMA-TV and TL-PSMA for both software solutions and showed highly positive correlations with BR. (4) Conclusions: due to the high levels of statistical and clinical agreement in our CRPC patient cohort undergoing taxane chemotherapy, comparing PSMA-TV and TL-PSMA determined by Syngo.via and FIJI appears feasible.