Will prostate cancer show up on a PET scan?

A PET scan can detect and characterize very small areas of recurrent prostate cancer, even with PSA levels that are very low.

What is a high score for prostate cancer?

The scores are added together to come up with an overall score between 6 and 10. Gleason scores of 5 or lower are not used. The lowest Gleason score is 6, which is a low-grade cancer. A Gleason score of 7 is a medium-grade cancer, and a score of 8, 9, or 10 is a high-grade cancer.

What size prostate lesion is considered large?

Lesion diameter ≥15 mm was an independent risk factor for adverse prostatectomy pathology. Lesion diameter ≥20 mm, but not ≥15 mm, was a significant risk factor for lymph node metastasis.

How accurate is PET scan for prostate cancer?

The PSMA-PET scan was 92% accurate in detecting metastatic tumours (or the lack thereof), compared to only 65% accuracy for CT and bone scans. Accuracy relies on two measures, specificity and sensitivity: Specificity is the ability to correctly identify those without metastatic tumours (true negative rate).

Does a hot spot on a PET scan mean cancer?

PET scans do not diagnose cancer; they only show areas of abnormal uptake of the tracer material. Other diseases can produce “hot spots,” such as infection.

What is SUV range on PET scan?

The cut off between benign and malignant lesion/nodule is in the SUV range of 2.0-2.5. PET sensitivity and specificity decreases with lesions smaller than 7 mm. Thus, continued follow-up is recommended. It is important to note that many infectious and inflammatory processes will also have high SUV.

Is everything that lights up on a PET scan cancer?

PET scans will not always pick up a small cancers. PET scans light up areas of high metabolic activity that are not necessarily cancer, including areas of inflammation, infection, trauma, or recent surgery.