The sensitivity and specificity of the PSMA PET scan makes it one of the most important developments in the history of prostate cancer management. However, its use in the United States is still not universal for men diagnosed with prostate cancer. Moreover, since the scan has just now become widely available, it could be many years before studies are completed that will determine how, exactly, physicians should interpret and act on the new information it has made available. For example, can a newly diagnosed man with Gleason 8 prostate cancer reduce the duration of hormone therapy if he has a negative PSMA PET scan, or is the negative scan a false sense of security? Here, Dr. Scholza medical oncologist specializing in the treatment of prostate cancerexplains how we can think about this information in an era before we have an authoritative, thorough, and scientific understanding of the information and all its implications.

0:07 What are PSMA PET scans and why are they important?

1:23 What is the difference between "PETCT" and "PSMA PET scan?"

3:38 After treatment, what is the lowest PSA at which the PSMA PET scan would be able to detect the location of the recurrence?

4:17 Other than cost, is there any reason why a person would not have a PSMA PET scan after a prostate cancer diagnosis?

5:05 Does PSMA detect all forms of prostate cancer or does it miss some cancers?

5:58 What is the protocol for avoiding the possibility of having a type of prostate cancer if it does not show up on PSMA PET?

6:28 If cancer shows up on a PSMA PET inside the prostate, what is the negative predictive value of there truly being no metastases?

7:18 Does extracapsular extension mean "locally advanced" prostate cancer?

8:45 Can a PSMA scan be done once hormone therapy has been initiated?

10:15 Can the information from PSMA PET scan help determine the optimal amount of time a patient should spend on hormone therapy?

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