PSMA Same As PSA?
What is a PSA test?
A PSA (Prostate-Specific Antigen) test is a blood test used to screen for prostate cancer and monitor the health of the prostate gland in men. Elevated PSA levels can be a potential indicator of prostate cancer or other prostate-related conditions, though it is not a definitive diagnostic tool on its own.
What is a PSMA PET/CT test?
A PSMA PET/CT Exam (Prostate-Specific Membrane Antigen) is a molecular imaging technique that uses a radiotracer to detect and localize active prostate cancer cells within the body. The diagnostic imaging test is used to help visualize a patients PSMA protein expression, which sits on top of a PSA cell, which allows care teams a highly sensitive and specific diagnostic imaging test aiding the identification, location, and extent of prostate cancer.
How is a PSMA PET/CT useful?
PSMA PET/CT helps cancer care teams by providing detailed images of areas with high PSMA activity protein expression. There is a clinical correlation between high PSMA expression and prostate cancer. PSMA PET/CT therefore helps add precision to support diagnosis and treatment decisions in prostate cancer.
Do all men with prostate cancer have an overexpressed PSMA Protein?
According to a Science Direct* article in 2019, PSMA is a transmembrane protein which is markedly overexpressed in approximately 90% of prostate malignancies.
Does an increase in PSA and PSMA mean someone as Prostate Cancer?
No. The two tests, PSA and PSMA tests, help indicate a likelihood of potential prostate cancer which may be used for staging, restaging, treatment planning and monitoring of prostate cancer.
When did the FDA Approve PSMA PET Imaging?
PSMA PET/CT was first approved by the FDA in December 2020 with broad coverage beginning in 2021.
