Evaluation of Prostate-specific Membrane Antigen (PSMA)-Based PET Imaging of Primary Prostate Cancer

The objective of this study is to evaluate a radiolabeled urea-based small molecule inhibitor of prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA), \[18F\]DCFBC (DCFBC), as a PET imaging biomarker of prostate cancer detection and aggressiveness at initial diagnosis. PSMA is a well characterized histological marker of prostate cancer tumor aggressiveness but a quantitative non-invasive method for PSMA detection and monitoring is not currently available. Development of such an imaging biomarker would be useful to differentiate indolent from aggressive prostate cancer phenotypes and allow for selection of appropriate risk adaptive therapies. The investigators preliminary first-in-human studies demonstrate high specific DCFBC uptake in metastatic prostate cancer and feasibility for prostate cancer imaging. The investigators propose to study patients initially diagnosed with biopsy-positive prostate cancer to determine if DCFBC uptake and location by PET imaging will be positively correlated with prostate cancer by prostatectomy tissue step-section analysis. DCFBC uptake at sites of suspected metastatic disease will be compared to conventional imaging modalities (CT, bone scan) and biopsy results when available. In addition, DCFBC-PET uptake quantification will be compared with expression levels of PSMA and other prostate cancer relevant markers (PSA, Ki-67, TMPRSS2-ERG) by prostate tissue immunohistochemistry analysis and compared with clinical prognostic markers (PSA, Gleason score, clinical stage, Partin tables derived prediction of pathologic stage).