Response to [ 177 Lu]Lu-PSMA radioligand therapy in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer patients presenting with only lymph node metastases

Nucl Med Commun. 2022 Nov 1;43(11):1113-1120. doi: 10.1097/MNM.0000000000001611. Epub 2022 Sep 19.

Abstract

Objective: [ 177 Lu]Lu-PSMA radioligand therapy (PSMA-RLT) is a promising therapy for patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) and offers a survival benefit particularly to patients with only lymph node metastases. We therefore sought to evaluate the clinical outcome of this therapy in such a cohort.

Methods: Of all prostate cancer patients admitted to our department between September 2015 and March 2019 to receive 1-4 courses of PSMA-RLT (each course consisted of three cycles of highly standardized PSMA-RLT every 4 weeks), only 10 consecutive men were found to have nodal metastases only and were analyzed retrospectively.

Results: Nine out of 10 patients responded to their first PSMA-RLT course with a mean prostate-specific antigen (PSA) decline of 71.8 ± 25.2%, seven of them demonstrated a PSA decline of ≥50%. Collectively, seven of eight patients responded to further PSMA-RLT courses with a total PSA reduction of 59.8 ± 30.0%, five of which showed a PSA reduction of ≥50%. One patient experienced complete remission. Median progression-free survival was 85 weeks (range 14-255 weeks) and median overall survival was not reached during the median observation time of 209 weeks (30-298 weeks). Univariate Cox-regression identified initial PSA decline as the only predictive parameter for progression-free survival ( P = 0.047).

Conclusion: mCRPC patients with only lymph node metastases showed favorable survival and excellent response to PSMA-RLT, leading to transient partial remission of the disease in most of them.

MeSH terms

  • Dipeptides / therapeutic use
  • Heterocyclic Compounds, 1-Ring / therapeutic use
  • Humans
  • Lutetium / therapeutic use
  • Lymphatic Metastasis
  • Male
  • Prostate-Specific Antigen*
  • Prostatic Neoplasms, Castration-Resistant* / pathology
  • Radioisotopes
  • Retrospective Studies

Substances

  • Dipeptides
  • Heterocyclic Compounds, 1-Ring
  • Radioisotopes
  • Lutetium
  • Lutetium-177
  • Prostate-Specific Antigen