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Context: Glycemic variability and hypoglycemia during diabetes treatment may impact therapeutic effectiveness and safety, even when glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) reduction is comparable between therapies., Objective: We employed masked continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) during a randomized trial of dapagliflozin plus saxagliptin (DAPA + SAXA) vs insulin glargine (INS) to compare glucose variability and patient-reported outcomes (PROs)., Design: 24-week substudy of a randomized, open-label, 2-arm, parallel-group, phase 3b study., Setting: Multicenter study (112 centers in 11 countries)., Patients: 283 adults with type 2 diabetes (T2D) inadequately controlled with metformin ± sulfonylurea., Interventions: DAPA + SAXA vs INS., Main Outcome Measures: Changes in CGM profiles, HbA1c, and PROs., Results: Changes from baseline in HbA1c with DAPA + SAXA were similar to those observed with INS, with mean difference [95% confidence interval] between decreases of -0.12% [-0.37 to 0.12%], P = .33. CGM analytics were more favorable for DAPA + SAXA, including greater percent time in range (> 3.9 and ≤ 10 mmol/L; 34.3 ± 1.9 vs 28.5 ± 1.9%, P = .033), lower percent time with nocturnal hypoglycemia (area under the curve ≤ 3.9 mmol/L; 0.6 ± 0.5 vs 2.7 ± 0.5%, P = .007), and smaller mean amplitude of glycemic excursions (-0.7 ± 0.1 vs -0.3 ± 0.1 mmol/L, P = .017). Improvements in CGM were associated with greater satisfaction, better body weight image, less weight interference, and improved mental and emotional well-being., Conclusion: DAPA + SAXA and INS were equally effective in reducing HbA1c at 24 weeks, but people with T2D treated with DAPA + SAXA achieved greater time in range, greater reductions in glycemic excursions and variability, less time with hypoglycemia, and improved patient-reported health outcomes., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Endocrine Society. All rights reserved. For commercial re-use, please contact reprints@oup.com for reprints and translation rights for reprints. All other permissions can be obtained through our RightsLink service via the Permissions link on the article page on our site—for further information please contact journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Background/aim: Aberrant activation of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway contributes to the pathogenesis of acute myelogenous leukemia (AML). Thus, targeting this pathway offers a promising therapeutic strategy against AML. Here, we synthesized a novel dipeptide-type inhibitor of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway, compound #41, and explored its anti-tumor effects on AML cells., Materials and Methods: We evaluated the inhibitory effect of compound #41 on T cell factor (TCF)/β-catenin transcriptional activity using a luciferase (Luc) reporter assay. The anti-tumor effects were assessed on KG1a and MV4;11 human AML cells using RT-qPCR, western blotting, and WST-8, cell cycle, and apoptosis assays. Differentially expressed genes were analyzed by RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq). Additionally, we investigated the in vivo effects of compound #41 using KG1a-Luc/GFP cells in an orthotopic mouse model., Results: The Luc reporter assay showed that compound #41 decreased the TCF/β-catenin transcriptional activity. Compound #41 blocked the cell cycle progression, inhibited cell proliferation, and induced apoptosis in AML cells. Treatment with compound #41 down-regulated the expression of β-catenin, Survivin, and β-catenin-specific target genes, as demonstrated by RNA-seq. In vivo analysis showed that compound #41 blocked the expansion of KG1a-Luc/GFP cells in the bone marrow and prolonged the overall survival of KG1a-Luc/GFP-transplanted mice., Conclusion: Compound #41 suppressed the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway by reducing CTNNB1 levels and induced apoptosis in AML cells. Furthermore, compound #41 inhibited the proliferation of KG1a-Luc/GFP cells in the bone marrow and extended the overall survival of mice. Thus, compound #41 is an attractive Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway inhibitor of AML., (Copyright © 2024 International Institute of Anticancer Research (Dr. George J. Delinasios), All rights reserved.)

The phase 3 VISION trial demonstrated that [ 177 Lu]Lu-PSMA-617 prolonged progression-free survival and overall survival (OS) in prostate-specific membrane antigen [PSMA]-positive metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) patients who progressed on taxane-based chemotherapy and androgen receptor-signaling inhibitors (ARSIs). The U.S. expanded-access program (EAP; NCT04825652) was opened to provide access to [ 177 Lu]Lu-PSMA-617 for eligible patients until regulatory approval was obtained. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety profile of [ 177 Lu]Lu-PSMA-617 within the EAP and compare the results with those from the VISION trial. Methods: Patients enrolled in the EAP at 4 institutions in the United States with available toxicity and outcome data were included. Outcome measures included OS, a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) response rate (RR) of at least 50%, and incidences of toxicity according to Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events version 5.0. Differences in baseline characteristics, outcome data, and toxicity between the EAP and VISION were evaluated using t testing of proportions and survival analyses. Results: In total, 117 patients with mCRPC who received [ 177 Lu]Lu-PSMA-617 within the EAP between May 2021 and March 2022 were eligible and included in this analysis. Patients enrolled in the EAP were more heavily pretreated with ARSI (≥2 ARSI regimens: 70% vs. 46%; P < 0.001) and had worse performance status at baseline (Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group score ≥ 2: 19% vs. 7%; P < 0.001) than VISION patients. EAP and VISION patients had similar levels of grade 3 or higher anemia (18% vs. 13%; P = 0.15), thrombocytopenia (13% vs. 8%; P = 0.13), and neutropenia (3% vs. 3%; P = 0.85) and similar PSA RRs (42% vs. 46%; P = 0.50) and OS (median: 15.1 vs. 15.3 mo; P > 0.05). Conclusion: Patients with PSMA-positive mCRPC who received [ 177 Lu]Lu-PSMA-617 within the EAP were later in their disease trajectory than VISION patients. Patients enrolled in the EAP achieved similar PSA RRs and OS and had a safety profile similar to that of the VISION trial patients., (© 2024 by the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging.)

[ 177 Lu]Lu-PSMA-617 was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for patients with prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA)-positive metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). Since the time of regulatory approval, however, real-world data have been lacking. This study investigated the efficacy, safety, and outcome predictors of [ 177 Lu]Lu-PSMA-617 at a major U.S. academic center. Methods: Patients with mCRPC who received [ 177 Lu]Lu-PSMA-617 at the Johns Hopkins Hospital outside clinical trials were screened for inclusion. Patients who underwent [ 177 Lu]Lu-PSMA-617 and had available outcome data were included in this study. Outcome data included prostate-specific antigen (PSA) response (≥50% decline), PSA progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS). Toxicity data were evaluated according to the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events version 5.03. The study tested the association of baseline circulating tumor DNA mutational status in homologous recombination repair, PI3K alteration pathway, and aggressive-variant prostate cancer-associated genes with treatment outcome. Baseline PSMA PET/CT images were analyzed using SelectPSMA, an artificial intelligence algorithm, to predict treatment outcome. Associations with the observed treatment outcome were evaluated. Results: All 76 patients with PSMA-positive mCRPC who received [ 177 Lu]Lu-PSMA-617 met the inclusion criteria. A PSA response was achieved in 30 of 74 (41%) patients. The median PSA PFS was 4.1 mo (95% CI, 2.0-6.2 mo), and the median OS was 13.7 mo (95% CI, 11.3-16.1 mo). Anemia of grade 3 or greater, thrombocytopenia, and neutropenia were observed in 9 (12%), 3 (4%), and 1 (1%), respectively, of 76 patients. Transient xerostomia was observed in 23 (28%) patients. The presence of aggressive-variant prostate cancer-associated genes was associated with a shorter PSA PFS (median, 1.3 vs. 6.3 mo; P = 0.040). No other associations were observed between circulating tumor DNA mutational status and treatment outcomes. Eighteen of 71 (25%) patients classified by SelectPSMA as nonresponders had significantly lower rates of PSA response than patients classified as likely responders (6% vs. 51%; P < 0.001), a shorter PSA PFS (median, 1.3 vs. 6.3 mo; P < 0.001), and a shorter OS (median, 6.3 vs. 14.5 mo; P = 0.046). Conclusion: [ 177 Lu]Lu-PSMA-617 offered in a real-world setting after regulatory approval in the United States demonstrated antitumor activity and a favorable toxicity profile. Artificial-intelligence-based analysis of baseline PSMA PET/CT images may improve patient selection. Validation of these findings on larger cohorts is warranted., (© 2024 by the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging.)

High-risk localized prostate cancer remains a lethal disease with high rates of recurrence, metastases and death, despite attempts at curative local treatment including surgery. Disease recurrence is thought to be a result of failure of local control and occult micrometastases. Neoadjuvant strategies before surgery have been effective in many cancers, but, to date, none has worked in this setting for prostate cancer. Prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA)-based theranostics is an exciting and rapidly evolving field in prostate cancer. The novel intravenous radionuclide therapy, [ 177 Lu]Lu-PSMA-617 (lutetium PSMA) has been shown to be effective in treating men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer, targeting cells expressing PSMA throughout the body. When given in a neoadjuvant setting, lutetium PSMA might also improve long-term oncological outcomes in men with high-risk localized disease. A component of radiotherapy is potentially an immunogenic form of cancer cell death. Lutetium PSMA could cause cancer cell death, resulting in release of tumour antigens and induction of a tumour-specific systemic immune response. This targeted radioligand treatment has the potential to treat local and systemic tumour sites by directly targeting cells that express PSMA, but might also act indirectly via this systemic immune response. In selected patients, lutetium PSMA could potentially be combined with systemic immunotherapies to augment the antitumour T cell response, and this might produce long-lasting immunity in prostate cancer., (© 2024. Springer Nature Limited.)

Aim: Rechallenge of [ 177 Lu]Lu-PSMA-617 radioligand therapy (RLT) was proposed for patients who initially responded to PSMA-RLT experiencing partial remission, but relapsed into progression after a certain period of remission. However, only limited data is available regarding this approach. In this study, we analyzed the efficacy and safety profile of one or more series of [ 177 Lu]Lu-PSMA-617 RLT rechallenge in patients from a prospective registry (REALITY Study, NCT04833517) after they initially benefited from PSMA-RLT., Methods: Forty-seven patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) who had biochemical response to initial [ 177 Lu]Lu-PSMA-617 RLT followed by disease progression received at least one (up to three) series of [ 177 Lu]Lu-PSMA-617 RLT rechallenge. Biochemical response rates based on prostate-specific antigen (PSA) serum value, PSA-based progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were calculated. Adverse events of the treatment were assessed according to 'common terminology criteria for adverse events' (CTCAE)., Results: After one series of RLT rechallenge, a PSA decline of at least 50% was achieved in 27/47 patients (57.4%). The median PFS of all patients was 8.7 mo and the median OS was 22.7 mo, each calculated from the administration of the first rechallenge series. Patients who responded (PSA decline > 50%) to the rechallenge showed a median OS of 27.3 mo. Regarding PFS, a significant correlation (r = 0.4128, p = 0.0323) was found for these patients comparing initial and rechallenge RLT. Ten patients received a second and 3 patients received a third rechallenge series with 8/10 and 3/3 patients responding to repeated RLT rechallenge. No severe deterioration of adverse events rated by CTCAE criteria was observed., Conclusion: [ 177 Lu]Lu-PSMA-617 RLT rechallenge is associated with significant PSA response and encouraging survival outcome as well as a very favourable safety profile and should therefore be considered as a straight-forward treatment option in mCRPC patients, who previously benefited from PSMA-RLT., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

ASCO Rapid Recommendation Updates highlight revisions to select ASCO guideline recommendations as a response to the emergence of new and practice-changing data. The rapid updates are supported by an evidence review and follow the guideline development processes outlined in the ASCO Guideline Methodology Manual . The goal of these articles is to disseminate updated recommendations, in a timely manner, to better inform health practitioners and the public on the best available cancer care options. Guidelines and updates are not intended to substitute for independent professional judgment of the treating provider and do not account for individual variation among patients. See appendix for disclaimers and other important information (Appendix 1 and Appendix 2, online only).

Cyclic dipeptides (CDPs), known for their diverse biological activities, have potential therapeutic applications in mental and behavioral disorders (MBDs), particularly schizophrenia. This study explores the CDPs' therapeutic potential using bibliometric analysis, network pharmacology, molecular docking, and experimental verification, focusing on the interactions with the SIGMA1 receptor. A literature review over three decades utilizing the Web of Science Core Collection (WOSCC) was conducted to identify the emerging trends in CDPs research. A compound library was constructed from the PubChem database, and target prediction using SwissTargetPrediction revealed 800 potential protein targets. A compound-target network highlighted the key interactions with kinases, G protein-coupled receptors, and chromatin-modifying enzymes. Enrichment analysis revealed significant associations with schizophrenia and other MBDs. Schizophrenia-related targets among the potential protein targets were identified using the GEO database. Molecular docking results showed interactions of MC4R, OPRK1, SIGMA1, and CDK5R1 with various CDPs compounds, with SIGMA1 being especially noteworthy. Most CDPs exhibited lower binding energies than the control compounds NE-100 and duloxetine. Experimental validation demonstrated that CDPs such as Cyclo(Ala-Gln), Cyclo(Ala-His), and Cyclo(Val-Gly) exhibited IC 50 values of 13.4, 19.4, and 11.5 μM, respectively, against SIGMA1, indicating biological activity. Our findings underscore their potential as therapeutic agents for schizophrenia, highlighting the need for further modifications to enhance specificity and efficacy. This work paves the way for future investigations into CDPs, contributing to developing targeted treatments for schizophrenia and related mental health disorders.

Competing Interests: AYJ reports personal fees from Myovant and Blue Earth Diagnostics. DES reports personal fees from Astellas, AstraZeneca, Bayer, Boston Scientific, Janssen, and Pfizer.

Background: Lutetium-177 [ 177 Lu]Lu-prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA)-617 improves survival and quality of life in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer, but whether it confers a benefit in hormone-sensitive disease is unknown. We aimed to evaluate [ 177 Lu]Lu-PSMA-617 before docetaxel treatment in patients with de-novo high-volume metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer., Methods: UpFrontPSMA was an investigator-initiated, multicentre, open-label, randomised, phase 2 trial done at 11 Australian hospitals. Eligible patients had prostate adenocarcinoma without clinically significant neuroendocrine differentiation or small-cell histology, were aged 18 years or older, had less than 4 weeks on androgen deprivation therapy, had an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 0-2, and had high-volume PSMA-avid disease on [ 68 Ga]Ga-PSMA-11 PET-CT with no major discordance on 2-[ 18 F] fluorodeoxyglucose-PET-CT. Patients were randomly assigned (1:1) to the experimental treatment ([ 177 Lu]Lu-PSMA-617 followed 6 weeks later by docetaxel) or standard-of-care treatment (docetaxel alone) using computer-based block randomisation with random block sizes, stratified by disease volume by conventional imaging and duration of androgen deprivation therapy at the time of registration. Neither patients nor investigators were masked to treatment assignment. Patients in the experimental group received two cycles of [ 177 Lu]Lu-PSMA-617 7·5 GBq every 6 weeks intravenously, followed 6 weeks later by six cycles of docetaxel 75 mg/m 2 every 3 weeks intravenously, whereas patients in the standard-of-care treatment group received six cycles of docetaxel 75 mg/m 2 every 3 weeks intravenously. All patients received continuous androgen deprivation therapy. The primary endpoint was undetectable prostate-specific antigen (≤0·2 ng/mL) at 48 weeks, assessed using a modified intention-to-treat analysis. The trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04343885., Findings: Between May 5, 2020, and April 18, 2023, 130 patients were randomly assigned, 63 (48%) to [ 177 Lu]Lu-PSMA-617 plus docetaxel and 67 (52%) to docetaxel alone. All patients were male and no race or ethnicity data were collected. Median follow-up was 2·5 years (IQR 1·8-3·0). Four patients in the docetaxel alone group withdrew consent after randomisation and no data beyond screening were collected. An additional four patients were not evaluable for the primary endpoint at 48 weeks (two in each group). 25 (41%) of 61 patients (95% CI 30-54) in the [ 177 Lu]Lu-PSMA-617 plus docetaxel group had undetectable PSA at 48 weeks compared with ten (16%) of 61 patients (9-28) in the docetaxel alone group (OR 3·88, 95% CI 1·61-9·38; p=0·0020). The most common grade 3 or 4 treatment-related adverse events were febrile neutropenia (seven [11%] of 63 patients in the [ 177 Lu]Lu-PSMA-617 plus docetaxel group vs six [10%] of 63 patients in the docetaxel alone group) and diarrhoea (four [6%] of 63 patients vs none). Serious adverse events occurred in 16 (25%) patients in the [ 177 Lu]Lu-PSMA-617 plus docetaxel group (none were definitely related to [ 177 Lu]Lu-PSMA-617) and 16 (25%) patients in the docetaxel alone group. No treatment-related deaths occurred., Interpretation: [ 177 Lu]Lu-PSMA-617 followed by docetaxel improved antitumour activity in patients with de-novo high-volume metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer compared with docetaxel alone, without increased toxic effects. Our data potentially support a role for [ 177 Lu]Lu-PSMA-617 in metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer., Funding: Prostate Cancer Research Alliance (Movember Foundation and Australian Government Medical Research Future Fund), US Department of Defence Impact Award-Clinical Trials, Endocyte/Advanced Accelerator Applications (a Novartis company), Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organization, Victorian Cancer Agency, University of Melbourne, and Peter MacCallum Cancer Foundation., Competing Interests: Declaration of interests AAA reports grants from Aptevo Therapeutics (institutional), Astellas (investigator), Astellas (institutional), AstraZeneca (institutional), AstraZeneca (investigator), Bionomics (institutional), Bristol Myers Squibb (institutional), Eli Lilly (institutional), Exelixis (institutional), Gilead Sciences (institutional), GlaxoSmithKline (institutional), Hinova (institutional), Ipsen (institutional), Janssen (institutional), MedImmune (institutional), Merck Serono (investigator), Merck Serono (institutional), Merck Sharpe & Dohme (institutional), Novartis (institutional), Pfizer (institutional), Sanofi Aventis (institutional), and SYNthorx (institutional); consulting fees from Astellas, Novartis, Janssen, Sanofi, AstraZeneca, Bristol Myers Squibb, Tolmar, Telix Pharma, Merck, Bayer, Ipsen, Merck Serono, Amgen, and Noxopharm; honoraria from Janssen, Astellas, Novartis, Tolmar, Amgen, Pfizer, Bayer, Telix Pharma, Bristol Myers Squibb, Merck Serono, AstraZeneca, Sanofi, Ipsen, Merck Sharp & Dohme, Noxopharm, Daiichi Sankyo, and Arvinas; speakers' bureau fees from Astellas, Novartis, Amgen, Bayer, Janssen, Ipsen, Bristol Myers Squibb, and Merck Serono; support for attending meetings from Amgen, Astellas, Bayer, Hinova, Janssen, Merck Serono, Novartis, Pfizer, and Tolmar; participation on data safety monitoring or advisory boards for Arvinas, Astellas, Novartis, Janssen, Sanofi, AstraZeneca, Bristol Myers Squibb, Tolmar, Telix Pharma, Merck Sharpe & Dohme, Bayer, Ipsen, Merck Serono, Amgen, Noxopharm, and Daiichi Sankyo. MV reports personal fees from AstraZeneca and Merck Sharpe & Dohme and grants (to their institution) from AstraZeneca, Merck Sharpe & Dohme, Alpine Immune Sciences, Virocure, Hinova, Atridia/Hengrui, Antengene, and Biogene. AJW declares grants to their institution from Merck Sharpe & Dohme; consulting fees from Merck Sharpe & Dohme, Bayer, Bristol Myers Squibb, Pfizer, Ipsen, and Astellas; honoraria from Astellas and Bristol Myers Squibb; and support for attending meetings from Bayer. AG reports grants from Sun Pharma; consulting fees from Regeneron and Bayer; support to attend meetings from Sun Pharma and Bristol Myers Squibb; and participation in a data safety monitoring or advisory board for Regeneron and Bayer. RJF reports committee involvement in the Australasian Radiopharmaceutical Trials Network (unpaid). LE reports research grant support (to their institution) from Novartis and Clarity Pharma; consulting fees for lectures or advisory boards from Astellas, Janssen, AstraZeneca, Clarity, Novartis, and Telix in the past 5 years; and philanthropic grant support from the Prostate Cancer Foundation, St Vincent's Clinic Research Foundation, and the Curran Foundation. DGM has received reimbursement for advisory board or speaker bureau activity from the following companies (in the past 36 months): Janssen, Astellas, Bayer, AstraZeneca, Mundipharma, Novartis, and Ipsen. AR has received reimbursement for advisory board or speaker bureau activity from the following companies: AstraZeneca, Daiichi Sankyo, Lily, Pfizer, Merck Sharpe & Dohme, Roche, and Novartis. DAP reports personal fees from Eisai. MSH reports grants and receipt of equipment, materials, drugs, medical writing, gifts, or other services from the Prostate Cancer Foundation, NHRMC, Movember, US Department of Defense, Medical Research Future Fund, Bayer, Peter MacCallum Foundation, Isotopia, and the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation; consulting fees from Merck Sharp & Dohme and Novartis; honoraria from Janssen, Novartis, and AstraZeneca; and support for meetings from Merck Sharp & Dohme, Novartis, Janssen, AstraZeneca, and Astellas. All other authors declare no competing interests., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved, including those for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies.)

Abstract: 177 Lu-vipivotide tetraxetan ( 177 Lu-PSMA-617/LuPSMA) received recent EMA approval for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer, with promising data for earlier stages. Secondary myeloid neoplasm following exposure to DNA-damaging therapy (therapy-related myelodysplastic syndrome [MDS]) is a rare severe complication of 177 Lu-oxodotreotide. We present a 77-year-old man, with synchronous liver, bone, and lymph node metastatic prostate cancer, having developed a low-risk MDS with SF3B1 mutation, 1 month after the sixth administration of LuPSMA. Although on partial metabolic and biological response with PSA nadir at 7 months after therapy, life quality was significantly altered by MDS., Competing Interests: Conflicts of interest and sources of funding: none declared., (Copyright © 2024 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Aims: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is closely associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD), and is considered an accelerator of AD. Our previous study has confirmed that the Calpain inhibitor Calpeptin may alleviate AD-like complications of diabetes mellitus. This work further investigated its underlying mechanism., Materials and Methods: Diabetes mellitus rat model was constructed by a high-fat and high-sugar diet combined with streptozotocin, followed by the administration of Calpeptin. Moreover, rats were micro-injected with LV-TXNIP-OE/vector into the CA1 region of the hippocampus one day before streptozotocin injection. The Morris water maze test assessed the spatial learning and memory ability of rats. Immunohistochemistry and western blotting detected the expression of the pericyte marker PDGFRβ, tight junction proteins occludin and ZO-1, calpain-1, calpain-2, APP, Aβ, Aβ-related, and TXNIP/NLRP3 inflammasome-related proteins. Immunofluorescence staining examined the blood vessel density and neurons in the hippocampus. Evans blue extravasation and fluorescence detected the permeability of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) in rats. Additionally, the oxidative stress markers and inflammatory-related factors were assessed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay., Results: Calpeptin effectively reduced the expression of Calpain-2 and TXNIP/NLRP3 inflammasome-related proteins, improved the decreased pericyte marker (PDGFR-β) and cognitive impairment in hippocampus of DM rats. The neuronal loss, microvessel density, permeability of BBB, Aβ accumulation, inflammation, and oxidative stress injury in the hippocampus of DM rats were also partly rescued by calpeptin treatment. The influence conferred by calpeptin treatment was reversed by TXNIP overexpression., Conclusions: These data demonstrated that calpeptin treatment alleviated AD-like symptoms in DM rats through regulating TXNIP/NLRP3 inflammasome. Thus, calpeptin may be a potential drug to treat AD-like complications of diabetes mellitus., (© 2024 The Author(s). Journal of Diabetes Investigation published by Asian Association for the Study of Diabetes (AASD) and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.)

Background: [ 177 Lu]Lu-PSMA-617 ( 177 Lu-PSMA-617) prolongs radiographic progression-free survival and overall survival in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer previously treated with androgen receptor pathway inhibitor (ARPI) and taxane therapy. We aimed to investigate the efficacy of 177 Lu-PSMA-617 in patients with taxane-naive metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer., Methods: In this phase 3, randomised, controlled trial conducted at 74 sites across Europe and North America, taxane-naive patients with prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA)-positive metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer who had progressed once on a previous ARPI were randomly allocated (1:1) to open-label, intravenous 177 Lu-PSMA-617 at a dosage of 7·4 GBq (200 mCi) ± 10% once every 6 weeks for six cycles, or a change of ARPI (to abiraterone or enzalutamide, administered orally on a continuous basis per product labelling). Crossover from ARPI change to 177 Lu-PSMA-617 was allowed after centrally confirmed radiographic progression. The primary endpoint was radiographic progression-free survival, defined as the time from randomisation until radiographic progression or death, assessed in the intention-to-treat population. Safety was a secondary endpoint. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT04689828) and is ongoing. In this primary report of the study, we present primary (first data cutoff) and updated (third data cutoff) analyses of radiographic progression-free survival; all other data are based on the third data cutoff., Findings: Overall, of the 585 patients screened, 468 met all eligibility criteria and were randomly allocated between June 15, 2021 and Oct 7, 2022 to receive 177 Lu-PSMA-617 (234 [50%] patients) or ARPI change (234 [50%]). Baseline characteristics were mostly similar between groups; median number of 177 Lu-PSMA-617 cycles was 6·0 (IQR 4·0-6·0). Of patients assigned to ARPI change, 134 (57%) crossed over to receive 177 Lu-PSMA-617. In the primary analysis (median time from randomisation to first data cutoff 7·26 months [IQR 3·38-10·55]), the median radiographic progression-free survival was 9·30 months (95% CI 6·77-not estimable) in the 177 Lu-PSMA-617 group versus 5·55 months (4·04-5·95) in the ARPI change group (hazard ratio [HR] 0·41 [95% CI 0·29-0·56]; p<0·0001). In the updated analysis at time of the third data cutoff (median time from randomisation to third data cutoff 24·11 months [IQR 20·24-27·40]), median radiographic progression-free survival was 11·60 months (95% CI 9·30-14·19) in the 177 Lu-PSMA-617 group versus 5·59 months (4·21-5·95) in the ARPI change group (HR 0·49 [95% CI 0·39-0·61]). The incidence of grade 3-5 adverse events was lower in the 177 Lu-PSMA-617 group (at least one event in 81 [36%] of 227 patients; four [2%] grade 5 [none treatment related]) than the ARPI change group (112 [48%] of 232; five [2%] grade 5 [one treatment related])., Interpretation: 177 Lu-PSMA-617 prolonged radiographic progression-free survival relative to ARPI change, with a favourable safety profile. For patients with PSMA-positive metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer who are being considered for a change of ARPI after progression on a previous ARPI, 177 Lu-PSMA-617 may be an effective treatment alternative., Funding: Novartis., Competing Interests: Declaration of interests MJM declares receiving consulting or advisory fees from Amgen, AstraZeneca, Blue Earth Diagnostics, Clarity Pharmaceuticals, Convergent Therapeutics, Daiichi, ITM Isotope Technologies Munich, Lantheus Medical Imaging, Pfizer, POINT Biopharma, Progenics, Telix Pharmaceuticals, and Z-Alpha; stock and other ownership in Doximity; travel, accommodations, and expenses from APCCC, AstraZeneca, and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center; institutional research funding from Astellas Pharma, Bayer, Celgene, Corcept Therapeutics, Janssen, Novartis, Progenics, and Roche/Genentech; patents pending with Novartis; and royalties from Telix. DC declares receiving payment or honorarium from Astellas, AstraZeneca, Bayer, Bristol Myers Squibb, Clovis, Eisai, Exelisis, GlaxoSmithKline, Ipsen, Janssen, Lilly, MSD, Pfizer, QED Therapeutics, and Roche; travel or other expenses from Astellas, AstraZeneca, Bristol Myers Squibb, GlaxoSmithKline, Ipsen, Janssen, MSD, Novartis, Pfizer, and Roche; participation on a data safety monitoring or advisory board for Astellas, AstraZeneca, Bristol Myers Squibb, GlaxoSmithKline, Ipsen, Janssen, MSD, Novartis, Pfizer, and Roche; and other financial or non-financial interests in Spanish Oncology Genito-Urinary Group Foundation and GUARD Consortium Spanish group. KH declares receiving grants or contracts from Boston Scientific, Janssen, and Novartis; consulting fees from Amgen, AstraZeneca, Bain Capital, Bayer, Boston Scientific, Convergent, Curium, Debiopharm, EcoR1, Fusion, GE Healthcare, Immedica, Isotopen Technologien München, Janssen, Merck, Molecular Partners, Novartis, NVision, POINT Biopharma, Pfizer, Radiopharm Theranostics, Rhine Pharma, Siemens Healthineers, Sofie Biosciences, Telix, Theragnostics, and Y-mAbs Therapeutics; and stock or other ownership in AdvanCell, Aktis Oncology, Convergent, NVision, Pharma 15, and Sofie Biosciences. JSdB declares receiving grants or contracts from Amgen, Astellas, AstraZeneca, Bayer, Bioxcel Therapeutics, Crescendo, Daiichi-Sankyo, Endocyte, Genentech/Roche, GlaxoSmithKline, ImCheck Therapeutics, Janssen, Merck Serono, Merck Sharp & Dohme, Novartis, Pfizer, and Sanofi Aventis; consulting or advisory fees from Astellas, AstraZeneca, Bayer, Daiichi-Sankyo, Genentech/Roche, GlaxoSmithKline, Janssen, Merck Serono, Merck Sharp & Dohme, Orion, Pfizer, Sanofi Aventis, and Taiho; payment or honorarium from Astellas, AstraZeneca, Bayer, Cellcentric, Crecendo, Daiichi, Genentech, Genmab, GlaxoSmithKline, Janssen, Merck Serono, Mycrix, MSD, Orion, Pfizer, Sanofi Aventis, and Taiho; being an inventor on patent 8822438 for a method for treating cancer; participating on a data safety monitoring or advisory board for Amgen, AstraZeneca, Bayer, Bioxcel Therapeutics, Crescendo, Daiichi-Sankyo, Endocyte, Genentech/Roche, GlaxoSmithKline, ImCheck Therapeutics, Janssen, Merck Serono, Merck Sharp & Dohme, Novartis, Oncternal, Pfizer, and Sanofi Aventis; and receiving institutional royalties or licences related to abiraterone, PARP inhibitor, and PI3K/AKT. NDS declares receiving support for the present manuscript from Novartis; consulting fees from AbbVie, Accord, Amgen, Antev, Arquer, Asieris, Astellas, AstraZeneca, Aura Biosciences, Bayer, Bioprotect, Bristol Myers Squibb, Clarity, Cold Genesys, Curium, Dendreon, Exact Imaging, Ferring, Fize Medical, Invitae, Janssen, Lantheus, Lilly, MDXHealth, Merck, Minomic, Myriad, Novartis, PlatformQ, Pfizer, POINT Biopharma, Preview, Promaxo, Propella, Protara, Sanofi Genzyme, Siemens, Speciality Networks, Sumitomo, Telix, Tolmar, and Urogen; having a leadership or fiduciary role for Photocure, and Alessa; and having stock or stock options with Photocure, and Alessa. KNC declares receiving grants or contracts from AstraZeneca, Bayer, Janssen, Merck, Novartis, Pfizer, POINT Biopharma, and Roche; and consulting fees from Astellas, AstraZeneca, Bayer, Janssen, Merck, Novartis, Pfizer, POINT Biopharma, and Roche. MC declares receiving support for the present manuscript from Novartis; consulting fees from Astellas, AstraZeneca, Blue Earth Diagnostics, Boston Scientific, Elekta, Johnson & Johnson, Lantheus, Macrogenics, Pfizer, Profound Medical, Sumitomo, Telix, Tolmar, and Tempus; payment or honorarium from Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer, Profound Medical, and Telix; participating on an advisory board for Telix; and having a leadership or fiduciary role for the Society of Nuclear Medical and Molecular Imaging, and the American Urological Association. JMP declares receiving grants or contracts from BeiGene, Bristol Myers Squibb, Immunocore, Mirati, MSD, and Pfizer; consulting fees from Astellas, AstraZeneca, BeiGene, Bristol Myers Squibb, Clovis, Ideaya, Immunocore, Janssen, MSD, Novartis, and Pfizer; and travel expenses from AstraZeneca, Janssen, and Pfizer. AF declares receiving payment or honorarium from Astellas, AstraZeneca, Bayer, Bristol Myers Squibb, Janssen, Merck, MSD, Novartis, and Pfizer; and travel expenses from Astellas, AstraZeneca, Bayer, Bristol Myers Squibb, Janssen, Merck, SD, Novartis, and Pfizer. XXW declares receiving institutional grants or contracts from Bristol Myers Squibb; consulting fees from Dendreon and Novartis; honorarium from Novartis; travel or other expenses from Novartis; and participating on a data safety monitoring or advisory board for Dendreon and Novartis. HM declares receiving payment or honorarium from Astellas, AstraZeneca, Bayer, Bristol Myers Squibb, Ipsen, Janssen, Merck, MSD, Novartis and Pfizer; travel or other expenses from AstraZeneca, Novartis, Pfizer, Roche; and acting on a scientific steering committee for Curium. GR declares receiving grants or contracts from Bayer; and consulting fees from Astellas, AstraZeneca, Bayer, Janssen, MSD, Novartis, and Pfizer. HŠ declares receiving consulting fees from Astellas, Bayer, Janssen, Novartis, and Pfizer. JN declares receiving contracts or grants from ABX, and Novartis; consulting fees from Curium, and POINT Biopharma; and payment or honorarium from Bayer AG, and Pfizer. BM declares receiving grants or contracts from Astellas, Bayer, Janssen, Roche, and Sanofi; payment or honorarium from Astellas, Bayer, Bristol Myers Squibb, Ipsen, Janssen, Pfizer, Roche, and Sanofi; travel or other expenses from Ipsen, Janssen Pfizer, and Roche; and other financial or non-financial interests in Astellas, Bayer, Bristol Myers Squibb, Ipsen, Janssen, Pfizer, Roche, and Sanofi. ÁM-P declares receiving personal fees from Astellas, AstraZeneca, Bayer, Bristol Myers Squibb, Ipsen, Janssen, Merck, MSD, Novartis, and Pfizer; and non-financial support from Bayer, Ipsen, Merck, and Pfizer. EK, SG, TNK, CW, and KL declare being employed by and receiving restricted stock options from Novartis. OS declares receiving support for the present manuscript from Novartis; institutional grants or contracts from Amgen, AstraZeneca, Bayer, Endocyte, Invitae, Janssen, Lantheus, Merck, Novartis, Progenics, and Tenebio; consulting fees from ARTBIO, AstraZeneca, Bayer, Blue Earth Diagnostics, Clarity Pharmaceuticals, Fusion, Isotopen Technologien Muenchen, Janssen, Merck, Myovant, Myriad, Noria Therapeutics, NorthStar, Novartis, Pfizer, POINT Biopharma, Sanofi, Telix, and Tenebio; travel and accommodation expenses from Lantheus, NorthStar, and Novartis; participation on a data safety monitoring or advisory board for AstraZeneca, Merck, and Pfizer; and stock or stock options in ARTBIO, Clarity Pharmaceuticals, Convergent, Fusion, Lilly, Pfizer, Ratio, and Telix. KF declares receiving institutional honorarium or payments to Gustave Roussy Institute from Astellas, AstraZeneca, Bayer, Janssen, MSD, Novartis, and Sanofi; institutional participation on data safety monitoring or advisory boards for Amgen, Astellas, AstraZeneca, Bayer, Clovis, Daiichi Sankyo, Janssen, MSD, Novartis, Pfizer, and Sanofi; and personal participation on a data safety monitoring or advisory board for Arvinas, CureVac, Macrogenics, Orion., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved, including those for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies.)

Competing Interests: JM has served as an advisor for AstraZeneca, Amgen, Pfizer, Janssen, Amonix/Sanofi, Roche, Medendi, and Nuage Therapeutics; and has received research funding from AstraZeneca, Pfizer, and Amgen. AJZ has served as an advisor for AstraZeneca, Bayer, Exelixis, Foundation Medicine, and Pfizer; reports payments for speaking or manuscript support from Amedco, CancerNet, Hikma, Janssen-Cilag, Mckesson Specialty Health, and Pfizer; and declares grants or contracts from Merck, Pfizer, Astellas, ABX, Clarity, and Curium.

Although guidelines for the use of 177 Lu-PSMA-617 published by various organizations are important, they do not include all the essential, practical points necessary for a complete institutional protocol. Therefore, a brief survey was performed to assess key components of the 177 Lu-PSMA-617 protocol before, during, and after delivery of therapy. This survey demonstrated the wide variability in many aspects of institutional protocols regarding determination of eligibility for and administration of 177 Lu-PSMA-617 therapy. The real-world protocol details provided here from a variety of institutions may help new and established theranostic programs., (© 2024 by the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging.)

We devised and clinically validated a schema of rapid personalized predictive dosimetry for 177 Lu-PSMA-I&T in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer. It supersedes traditional empiric prescription by providing clinically meaningful predicted absorbed doses for first-strike optimization. Methods: Prostate-specific membrane antigen PET was conceptualized as a simulation study that captures the complex dosimetric interplay between tumor, marrow, and kidneys at a single time point. Radiation principles of fractionation, heterogeneity, normal-organ constraints (marrow, kidney), absorbed dose, and dose rate were introduced. We created a predictive calculator in the form of a free, open-source, and user-friendly spreadsheet that can be completed within minutes. Our schema achieves speed and accuracy by sampling tissue radioconcentrations (kBq/cm 3 ) to be analyzed in conjunction with clinical input from the user that reflect dosimetric preconditions. The marrow-absorbed dose constraint was 0.217 Gy (dose rate, ≤0.0147 Gy/h) per fraction with an interfraction interval of at least 6 wk. Results: Our first 10 patients were analyzed. The first-strike mean tumor-absorbed dose threshold for any prostate-specific antigen (PSA) response was more than 10 Gy (dose rate, >0.1 Gy/h). The metastasis with the lowest first-strike tumor-absorbed dose correlated the best with the percentage decrease of PSA; its threshold to achieve hypothetical zero PSA was 20 Gy or more. Each patient's PSA doubling time can be used to personalize their unique absorbed dose-response threshold. The predicted mean first-strike prescription constrained by marrow-absorbed dose rate per fraction was 11.0 ± 4.0 GBq. Highly favorable conditions (tumor sink effect) were dosimetrically expressed as the combination of tumor-to-normal-organ ratios of more than 150 for marrow and more than 4 for kidney. Our schema obviates the traditional role of the SUV as a predictive parameter. Conclusion: Our rapid schema is feasible to implement in any busy real-world theranostics unit and exceeds today's best practice standards. Our dosimetric thresholds and predictive parameters can radiobiologically rationalize each patient's first-strike prescription down to a single becquerel. Favorable tumor-to-normal-organ ratios can be prospectively exploited by predictive dosimetry to optimize the first-strike prescription. The scientific framework of our schema may be applied to other systemic radionuclide therapies., (© 2024 by the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging.)

177 Lu can be imaged after administration using SPECT/CT. Most work to date has focused on using posttreatment imaging to measure normal organ and tumor dose. We aimed to assess the impact of posttreatment SPECT/CT on the management of patients undergoing 177 Lu-prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) radiopharmaceutical therapy (RPT). Methods: In this retrospective study, 122 patients underwent PSMA RPT with subsequent SPECT/CT 24 h after treatment. We determined a qualitative response at each cycle and reviewed patient charts to assess the impact that posttreatment SPECT/CT had on patient management. Changes in patient management were classified as changes on the basis of progression and response, and specific cycles when they occurred were noted. Miscellaneous changes in patient management were also evaluated. Results: Among the 122 consecutive patients examined, 42%-56% exhibited stable disease, whereas 19%-39% of patients exhibited response on visual assessment across treatment cycles. In total, 49% ( n = 60) of patients experienced changes in management, of which 57% ( n = 34) were due to progression, 40% ( n = 24) were due to response, and 3% ( n = 2) were due to miscellaneous changes. Changes due to disease progression were observed mostly after cycles 2 and 4. Changes due to response to RPT occurred mostly after cycles 3 and 4. Conclusion: At our center, 49% of patients experienced changes in management based on posttreatment SPECT/CT, and most of these changes occurred at cycles 2 and 4. Integrating posttreatment SPECT/CT into routine PSMA RPT protocols can aid in patient management., (© 2024 by the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging.)

Treatment with 177 Lu-prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA)-617 ( 177 Lu-vipivotide tetraxetan [Pluvicto]) prolongs both progression-free and overall survival in advanced PSMA-positive metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer. Data examining specifically neurologic symptoms after 177 Lu-PSMA-617 treatment are scarce. In this study, we aimed to review the neurologic findings in a large cohort of metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer patients undergoing 177 Lu-PSMA-617 therapy. Methods: The clinical records and imaging data of patients who received their initial dose of 177 Lu-PSMA-617 between March 2022 and November 2022 were retrospectively reviewed. All patients presenting for medical evaluation, regardless of specific specialty appointments, with new or worsening neurologic symptoms were included in the study. Results: A total of 185 patients underwent 177 Lu-PSMA-617 therapy. The median age was 70 y (range, 58-90 y). The mean follow-up time was 12.04 ± 2.87 mo. Fifty-five new or worsening neurologic symptoms were observed in 50 patients (27%, 50/185). Of these, 27 (11.9%, 27/185) reported altered taste. Eleven patients (6%, 11/185) experienced dizziness with no other clear etiology; 2 of these patients were admitted to the emergency department (ED). Paresthesia symptoms were reported in 6 patients (3.2%, 6/185). Five patients (2.7%, 5/185) reported headaches, 3 of these patients were admitted to the ED because of the severity of the symptoms. Two patients (1.08%, 2/185) presented with extremity weakness. Two patients (1.08%, 2/185) had an ischemic stroke and were admitted to the ED. One patient (0.05%, 1/185) exhibited gait disturbances. In total, 7 patients (3.78%, 7/185) were admitted to the ED because of neurologic symptoms. None of the patients discontinued or failed to complete the 177 Lu-PSMA-617 therapy because of neurologic symptoms. Conclusion: After 177 Lu-PSMA-617 treatment, the most common neurologic symptoms were dysgeusia and dizziness. In this study, our follow-up period and population size might not have been sufficient to detect delayed or uncommon neurologic symptoms. In patients without neurologic symptoms or central nervous system metastases before treatment, we found the development of severe neurologic problems to be rare and unlikely to require discontinuation of treatment., (© 2024 by the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging.)

Aim: To evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of an initial triple combination therapy (TCT) compared with conventional stepwise add-on therapy (SAT) in patients with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes (T2D)., Materials and Methods: This multicentre, randomized, 104-week, open-label trial randomized 105 patients with drug-naïve T2D (with HbA1c level ≥ 8.0%, < 11.0%) to the TCT (1000 mg of metformin, 10 mg of dapagliflozin and 5 mg of saxagliptin once daily) or SAT (initiated with metformin, followed by glimepiride and sitagliptin) groups. The primary outcome was the proportion of patients who achieved an HbA1c level of less than 6.5% without hypoglycaemia, weight gain of 5% or higher, or discontinuation of drugs because of adverse events at week 104., Results: HbA1c reduction from baseline at week 104 was similar between the groups (the least squares mean change was -2.56% in the TCT group vs. -2.75% in the SAT group). The primary outcome was achieved in 39.0% and 17.1% of the TCT and SAT groups, respectively, with a risk difference of 22.0 (95% confidence interval 3.0, 40.8; P = .027). HbA1c level less than 6.5% at week 104 was 46.3% in both the TCT and SAT groups, whereas the incidence of hypoglycaemia, weight gain, or discontinuation of drugs was 16.7% and 62.0% in the TCT and SAT groups, respectively (P < .001). TCT was well-tolerated and had fewer adverse events than SAT., Conclusions: Among newly diagnosed patients with T2D, initial TCT effectively lowered HbA1c levels with higher tolerability and safety than SAT for 104 weeks, suggesting a novel strategy for initial combination therapy in T2D patients., (© 2024 The Author(s). Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Prostate cancer is a leading cause of cancer-related mortality in men, with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer presenting a substantial treatment challenge. The authors focuse on prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) radiotheranostics, particularly lutetium 177 ( 177 Lu)-PSMA radioligand therapy, as an emerging treatment modality for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval of 177 Lu-PSMA-617 marked a substantial advancement in the treatment paradigm of metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer, based on the VISION trial that showed improved overall survival and quality of life compared with those for standard care. PSMA expression, assessed via PSMA PET, is crucial for patient selection and assessment of treatment eligibility. The authors discuss current practices, including therapy administration, dosing, and side effects, with a particular focus on eligibility criteria and the added value of posttherapy imaging. Response assessment criteria using PSMA PET are discussed, although these require further validation. The discussion of future directions highlights ongoing trials investigating PSMA targeting agents, the extension of radioligand therapy to earlier stages of prostate cancer, and combination therapies. This review underscores the role of PSMA radioligand therapy in the evolving landscape of prostate cancer treatment and its promise for improving patient outcomes. © RSNA, 2024 Supplemental material is available for this article.

Abstract: Patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer usually have lymph nodes and bone metastasis. We present a rare case of a 51-year-old patient with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer who complained of left truncated sciatica and diffuse bone pain and who was referred for 177 Lu-prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) screening. Pretreatment 68 Ga-PSMA showed left sciatic nerve and multiple bone uptake. Patient underwent stereotactic radiotherapy on the sciatic nerve metastasis (30 Gy in 6 fractions of 5 Gy) before 7.4 GBq of 177 Lu-PSMA infusions. Left truncated sciatica disappeared after stereotactic radiotherapy. No additional toxicity was added to the sciatic nerve from 177 Lu-PSMA after stereotactic radiotherapy., Competing Interests: Conflicts of interest and sources of funding: none declared., (Copyright © 2024 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Prostate cancer is one of the most common cancers and leading cause of death due to cancer across the globe. This persuaded researchers to devise innovative treatment modalities that may prove effective, safe, and demonstrate better outcomes in terms of patient morbidity and survival. The advancement in theranostics such as lutetium-177 ( 177 Lu)-PSMA-617 radioligand therapies can target prostate cancer cells causing negligible or no damage to most of the normal tissues in patients. It has been proven to effectively improve the quality of life and progression-free survival. In this study, stage IV metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer patients were treated with 177 Lu-PSMA-617, and the therapeutic response and safety of 177 Lu-PSMA-617 radioligand therapy were evaluated six months after the treatment. Additionally, molecular docking studies were also conducted to find the possible mechanism at the molecular level that causes the effectiveness of 177 Lu-PSMA-617 in prostate cancer., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Internal dosimetry supports safe and effective patient management during radionuclide therapy. Yet, it is associated with high clinical workload, costs, and patient burden, as patient scans at multiple time points (MTPs) must be acquired. Dosimetry based on imaging at a single time point (STP) has continuously gained popularity. However, MTP protocols, used as a reference to judge the validity of STP dosimetry, differ depending on local requirements and deviate from the unknown patient-specific ground truth pharmacokinetics. The aim of this study was to compare the error and optimum time point for different STP approaches using different reference MTP protocols. Methods: Whole-body SPECT/CT scans of 7 patients (7.4-8.9 GBq of [ 177 Lu]Lu-PSMA-I&T) were scheduled at 24, 48, 72, and 168 h after injection. Sixty lesions, 14 kidneys, and 10 submandibular glands were delineated in the SPECT/CT data. Two curve models, that is, a mono- and a biexponential model, were fitted to the MTP data, in accordance with goodness-of-fit analysis (coefficients of variation, sum of squared errors). Three population-based STP approaches were compared: one method published by Hänscheid et al., one by Jackson et al., and one using population-based effective half-lives in the mono- or biexponential curve models. Percentage differences between STP and MTP dosimetry were evaluated. Results: Goodness-of-fit parameters show that a monoexponential function and a biexponential function with shared population-based parameters and physical tail are reasonable reference models. When comparing both reference models, we observed maximum differences of -44%, -19%, and -28% in the estimated absorbed doses for lesions, kidneys, and salivary glands, respectively. STP dosimetry with an average deviation of less than 10% from MTP dosimetry may be feasible; however, this deviation and the optimum imaging time point showed a dependence on the chosen reference protocol. Conclusion: STP dosimetry for [ 177 Lu]Lu-PSMA therapy is promising to boost the integration of dosimetry into clinical routine. According to our patient cohort, 48 h after injection may be regarded as a compromise for STP dosimetry for lesions and at-risk organs. The results from this analysis show that a common gold standard for dosimetry is desirable to allow for reliable and comparable STP dosimetry., (© 2024 by the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging.)

Background Lutetium 177 [ 177 Lu]Lu-PSMA-617 ( 177 Lu-PSMA-617) is a prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA)-targeted radioligand therapy for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). Quantitative PSMA PET/CT analysis could provide information on 177 Lu-PSMA-617 treatment benefits. Purpose To explore the association between quantitative baseline gallium 68 [ 68 Ga]Ga-PSMA-11 ( 68 Ga-PSMA-11) PET/CT parameters and treatment response and outcomes in the VISION trial. Materials and Methods This was an exploratory secondary analysis of the VISION trial. Eligible participants were randomized (June 2018 to October 2019) in a 2:1 ratio to 177 Lu-PSMA-617 therapy (7.4 GBq every 6 weeks for up to six cycles) plus standard of care (SOC) or to SOC only. Baseline 68 Ga-PSMA-11 PET parameters, including the mean and maximum standardized uptake value (SUV mean and SUV max ), PSMA-positive tumor volume, and tumor load, were extracted from five anatomic regions and the whole body. Associations of quantitative PET parameters with radiographic progression-free survival (rPFS), overall survival (OS), objective response rate, and prostate-specific antigen response were investigated using univariable and multivariable analyses (with treatment as the only other covariate). Outcomes were assessed in subgroups based on SUV mean quartiles. Results Quantitative PET parameters were well balanced between study arms for the 826 participants included. The median whole-body tumor SUV mean was 7.6 (IQR, 5.8-9.9). Whole-body tumor SUV mean was the best predictor of 177 Lu-PSMA-617 efficacy, with a hazard ratio (HR) range of 0.86-1.43 for all outcomes (all P < .001). A 1-unit whole-body tumor SUV mean increase was associated with a 12% and 10% decrease in risk of an rPFS event and death, respectively. 177 Lu-PSMA-617 plus SOC prolonged rPFS and OS in all SUV mean quartiles versus SOC only, with no identifiable optimum among participants receiving 177 Lu-PSMA-617. Higher baseline PSMA-positive tumor volume and tumor load were associated with worse rPFS (HR range, 1.44-1.53 [ P < .05] and 1.02-1.03 [ P < .001], respectively) and OS (HR range, 1.36-2.12 [ P < .006] and 1.04 [ P < .001], respectively). Conclusion Baseline 68 Ga-PSMA-11 PET/CT whole-body tumor SUV mean was the best predictor of 177 Lu-PSMA-617 efficacy in participants in the VISION trial. Improvements in rPFS and OS with 177 Lu-PSMA-617 plus SOC were greater among participants with higher whole-body tumor SUV mean , with evidence for benefit at all SUV mean levels. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT03511664 Published under a CC BY 4.0 license. Supplemental material is available for this article.

Background: Treatment of castration-resistant metastatic prostate cancer with [¹⁷⁷Lu]PSMA radioligand., Case Presentation: A man in his seventies with metastatic prostate cancer received castration therapy for four years, developing castration-resistant disease. PET/CT with [⁶⁸Ga]PSMA-11 showed high uptake in metastatic lymph nodes. The patient received 7.4 GBq [¹⁷⁷Lu]PSMA-I&T (Curium, Finland) as five treatments at five-week intervals. Five weeks after the first treatment, p-PSA dropped from 154 to 53 µg/L. Five weeks after the fifth treatment, p-PSA was 1.8 µg/L. [⁶⁸Ga]PSMA-11 PET/CT showed significant reduction in the size of metastases, with the largest decreasing in diameter from 10 to 4 mm. Seven months after the fifth treatment, p-PSA increased to 14.3 µg/L, and [⁶⁸Ga]PSMA-11 PET/ CT revealed additional skeletal metastases, while the lymph node metastases remained unchanged. Thus, the treatment had a good but temporary effect on the metastases., Interpretation: Treatment with [¹⁷⁷Lu]PSMA radioligand resulted in a temporary regression of the metastases.

Purpose: Pluvicto™ ([ 177 Lu]Lu-PSMA-617), a radioligand therapeutic targeting prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA), has been recently approved for the treatment of metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPR). The drug suffers from salivary gland and kidney uptake that prevents its dose escalation to potentially curative doses. In this work, we sought to potentiate the in vivo anti-cancer activity of Pluvicto™ by combining it with L19-IL2, a clinical-stage investigational medicinal product based on tumor-targeted interleukin-2., Methods: We established a new PSMA-expressing model (HT-1080.hPSMA) and validated it using a fluoresceine analogue of PSMA-617 (compound 1). The HT-1080.hPSMA model was used to study the saturation and tumor retention of Pluvicto™ (compound 2) and to run combination therapy studies with L19-IL2. To complement our understanding of the mechanism of action of this novel combination, we conducted proteomics experiments on tumor samples after therapy with Pluvicto™ alone or in combination with the immunocytokine., Results: High, selective, and long-lived tumor uptake was observed for Pluvicto™ (2) in the novel HT-1080.hPSMA model. Therapy studies in HT-1080.hPSMA tumor-bearing mice revealed that the combination of Pluvicto™ (2) plus L19-IL2 mediated curative and durable responses in all animals. Potent in vivo anti-cancer activity was observed solely for the combination modality, at doses that were well tolerated by treated animals. Proteomics studies indicated that L19-IL2 boosts the activation of the immune system in animals pre-treated with Pluvicto™., Conclusion: The therapeutic efficacy of Pluvicto™ at low radioactive doses can be effectively enhanced by the combination with L19-IL2. Our findings warrant further clinical exploration of this novel combination modality., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Purpose: This pilot study investigates the efficacy and safety profile as well as predictive biomarkers of 225 Ac-PSMA-617-augmented 177 Lu-PSMA-617 radioligand therapy (RLT) in a cohort of high-risk patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC), enrolled in a prospective registry (NCT04833517)., Patients and Methods: A group of n = 33 high-risk mCRPC patients received 177 Lu-PSMA-617 RLT, augmented by 1 or more cycles of 225 Ac-PSMA-617. Response was assessed by prostate-specific antigen (PSA) serum value after 2 cycles of treatment. Overall survival (OS) and PSA-based progression-free survival were evaluated using Kaplan-Meier analysis. To assess the side effect profile, Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events were applied. In total, 12 potential pretherapeutic biomarkers were tested for association with OS., Results: The median decrease in serum PSA value was -49.1%, and 16/33 (48.5%) patients experienced a partial response after 2 cycles RLT. The median PSA-based progression-free survival and median OS was 7.2 and 14.8 months, respectively. Alkaline phosphatase ( P < 0.001), lactate dehydrogenase ( P = 0.035), Eastern European Oncology Group Performance Score ( P = 0.037), and the presence of visceral metastases ( P = 0.029) revealed significant association with OS in Kaplan-Meier analysis (log-rank test). Most of the recorded adverse events were rated as mild or moderate. Higher-grade adverse events were very limited with only 1 case (3.0%) of grade 3 anemia. Treatment-related mild xerostomia was recorded in 6/33 (18.2%) patients., Conclusions: 225 Ac-PSMA-617 augmentation in high-risk mCRPC undergoing 177 Lu-PSMA-617 RLT appears to be an effective treatment option with a favorable safety profile. The pretherapeutic values of alkaline phosphatase, lactate dehydrogenase, the Eastern European Oncology Group Performance Score, and the presence of visceral metastases may be appropriate biomarkers predicting survival outcome of this treatment regimen., Competing Interests: Conflicts of interest and sources of funding: none declared., (Copyright © 2024 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: Lutetium-177 [ 177 Lu]Lu-PSMA-617 radioligand therapy (RLT) represents a significant advancement for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC), demonstrating improvements in radiographic progression free survival (rPFS) and overall survival (OS) with a low rate of associated side effects. Currently, most post-therapy SPECT/CT is conducted at 24 h after infusion. This study examines the clinical utility of a next-generation multi-detector Cadmium-Zinc-Telluride (CZT) SPECT/CT system (StarGuide) in same-day post-infusion assessment and early treatment response to [ 177 Lu]Lu-PSMA-617., Methods: In this retrospective study, 68 men with progressive mCRPC treated with [ 177 Lu]Lu-PSMA-617 at our center from June 2022 to June 2023 were evaluated. Digital whole-body SPECT/CT imaging was performed after [ 177 Lu]Lu-PSMA-617infusion (mean ± SD: 1.8 ± 0.6 h, range 1.1-4.9 h). Quantitative analysis of [ 177 Lu]Lu-PSMA-617 positive lesions was performed in patients who underwent at least 2 post-therapy SPECT/CT, using liver parenchyma uptake as reference. Metrics including [ 177 Lu]Lu-PSMA-617 positive total tumor volume (Lu-TTV), SUV max and SUV mean were calculated. These quantitative metrics on post-infusion SPECT/CT images after cycles 1, 2 and 3 were correlated with overall survival (OS), prostate specific antigen-progression free survival (PSA-PFS) as defined by prostate cancer working group 3 (PCWG3), and PSA decrease over 50% (PSA50) response rates., Results: 56 patients (means age 76.2 ± 8.1 years, range: 60-93) who underwent at least 2 post-therapy SPECT/CT were included in the image analysis. The whole-body SPECT/CT scans (~ 12 min per scan) were well tolerated, with 221 same-day scans performed (89%). At a median of 10-months follow-up, 33 (58.9%) patients achieved PSA50 after [ 177 Lu]Lu-PSMA-617 treatment and median PSA-PFS was 5.0 months (range: 1.0-15 months) while median OS was not reached. Quantitative analysis of SPECT/CT images showed that 37 patients (66%) had > 30% reduction in Lu-TTV, associated with significantly improved overall survival (median not reached vs. 6 months, P = 0.008) and PSA-PFS (median 6 months vs. 1 months, P < 0.001). However, changes in SUV max or SUV mean did not correlate with PSA-PFS or OS., Conclusion: We successfully implemented same-day post-therapy SPECT/CT after [ 177 Lu]Lu-PSMA-617 infusions. Quantitation of 1-2 h post-therapy SPECT/CT images is a promising method for assessing treatment response. However, the approach is currently limited by its suboptimal detection of small tumor lesions and the necessity of incorporating a third-cycle SPECT/CT to mitigate the effects of any potential treatment-related flare-up. Further investigation in a larger patient cohort and prospective validation is essential to confirm these findings and to explore the role of SPECT/CT as a potential adjunct to PSMA PET/CT in managing mCRPC., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Treatment options for patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer include use of radioligand therapy with 177Lu-PSMA-617. 177Lu-PSMA-617 is used to target prostate cancer cells selectively by targeting prostate specific membrane antigen (PSMA); however, PSMA is also expressed on lacrimal glands among other tissues. Herein, we report on a case of a Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events version 5 grade 3 dry eye event with concomitant blepharitis after administration of 177Lu-PSMA-617. The patient was managed with neomycin-polymyxin-dexamethasone 3.5-10000-0.1 ophthalmic suspension, artificial tears, lubricating ointments, lid scrubs, and oral antihistamines., (Copyright © 2024 American Society for Radiation Oncology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Understanding the relationship between lesion-absorbed dose and tumor response in 177 Lu-PSMA-617 radiopharmaceutical therapies (RPTs) remains complex. We aimed to investigate whether baseline lesion-absorbed dose can predict lesion-based responses and to explore the connection between lesion-absorbed dose and prostate-specific antigen (PSA) response. Methods: In this retrospective study, we evaluated 50 patients with 335 index lesions undergoing 177 Lu-PSMA-617 RPT, who had dosimetry analysis performed on SPECT/CT at 24 h after cycles 1 and 2. First, we identified the index lesions for each patient and measured the lesion-based absorbed doses. Lesion-based response was calculated after cycle 2. Additionally, PSA50 response (a decline of 50% from baseline PSA) after cycle 2 was also calculated. The respective responses for mean and maximum absorbed doses and prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) volumetric intensity product (VIP-PSMA) at cycles 1 and 2 were termed SPECT mean , SPECT maximum , and SPECT VIP-PSMA , respectively. Results: Of the 50 patients reviewed, 46% achieved a PSA50 response after cycle 2. Of the 335 index lesions, 58% were osseous, 32% were lymph nodes, and 10% were soft-tissue metastatic lesions. The SPECT lesion-based responses were higher in PSA responders than in nonresponders (SPECT mean response of 46.8% ± 26.1% vs. 26.2% ± 24.5%, P = 0.007; SPECT maximum response of 45% ± 25.1% vs. 19% ± 27.0%, P = 0.001; SPECT VIP-PSMA response of 49.2% ± 30.3% vs. 14% ± 34.7%, P = 0.0005). An association was observed between PSA response and SPECT VIP-PSMA response ( R 2 = 0.40 and P < 0.0001). A limited relationship was found between baseline absorbed dose measured with a 24-h single time point and SPECT lesion-based response ( R 2 = 0.05, P = 0.001, and R 2 = 0.03, P = 0.007, for mean and maximum absorbed doses, respectively). Conclusion: In this retrospective study, quantitative lesion-based response correlated with patient-level PSA response. We observed a limited relationship between baseline absorbed dose and lesion-based responses. Most of the variance in response remains unexplained solely by baseline absorbed dose. Establishment of a dose-response relationship in RPT with a single time point at 24 h presented some limitations., (© 2024 by the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging.)

Objective: To explore the complementary effects of a combination of dipeptidyl peptidase 4 and sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors added to metformin on hormonal and metabolic responses to meal ingestion., Research Design and Methods: Forty-five patients (age 58 ± 8 years; HbA1c 58 ± 6 mmol/mol; BMI 30.7 ± 3.2 kg/m2) with type 2 diabetes uncontrolled with metformin were evaluated at baseline and 3 and 28 days after 5 mg saxagliptin (SAXA), 10 mg dapagliflozin (DAPA), or 5 mg saxagliptin plus 10 mg dapagliflozin (SAXA+DAPA) using a mixed-meal tolerance test (MMTT) spiked with dual-tracer glucose to assess glucose metabolism, insulin secretion, and sensitivity., Results: At day 3, fasting and mean MMTT glucose levels were lower with SAXA+DAPA (-31.1 ± 1.6 and -91.5 ± 12.4 mg/dL) than with SAXA (-7.1 ± 2.1 and -53 ± 10.5 mg/dL) or DAPA (-17.0 ± 1.1 and -42.6 ± 10.0 mg/dL, respectively; P < 0.001). Insulin secretion rate (SAXA+DAPA +75%; SAXA +11%; DAPA +3%) and insulin sensitivity (+2.2 ± 1.7, +0.4 ± 0.7, and +0.4 ± 0.4 mg ⋅ kg-1⋅ min-1, respectively) improved with SAXA+DAPA (P < 0.007). Mean glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) was higher with SAXA+DAPA than with SAXA or DAPA. Fasting glucagon increased with DAPA and SAXA+DAPA but not with SAXA. Fasting endogenous glucose production (EGP) increased with SAXA+DAPA and DAPA. During MMTT, EGP suppression was greater (48%) with SAXA+DAPA (vs. SAXA 44%; P = 0.02 or DAPA 34%; P = 0.2). Metabolic clearance rate of glucose (MCRglu) increased more with SAXA+DAPA. At week 4, insulin secretion rate, β-cell glucose sensitivity, and insulin sensitivity had further increased in the SAXA+DAPA group (P = 0.02), with no additional changes in GLP-1, glucagon, fasting or MMTT EGP, or MCRglu., Conclusions: SAXA+DAPA provided superior glycemic control compared with DAPA or SAXA, with improved β-cell function, insulin sensitivity, GLP-1 availability, and glucose clearance., (© 2024 by the American Diabetes Association.)

The aim of this work is to evaluate our clinical real-world data obtained with 225 Ac-PSMA-617 (AcPSMA), which were acquired under compassionate care regulations in patients with advanced-stage prostate cancer. The objective parameters that could be derived from this evaluation are compared with previous literature about AcPSMA and 177 Lu-PSMA-617 (LuPSMA). Methods: The medical files of all patients who had received AcPSMA on an individual patient basis at the Heidelberg University Hospital since January 2014 were analyzed retrospectively. Previously published patients were excluded. The remaining patients were tailored into 2 subgroups with different treatment strategies: group 1 received AcPSMA as a deescalated monotherapy, and group 2 received LuPSMA plus AcPSMA as a cocktail regimen. Baseline characteristics, serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) response, and overall survival were compared with the most appropriate historical controls. Results: Of 287 patients treated, 54 were excluded because of previous publication and 233 were evaluated, 104 of whom received AcPSMA monotherapy (median, 6 MBq). In this group, 55 patients (53%) presented with a best PSA response of at least 50%. The other 129 patients received a cocktail therapy of AcPSMA (median, 4 MBq) plus LuPSMA (4 GBq). In this group, a best PSA response of at least 50% was observed in 74 patients (57%). The median overall survival in the monogroup was 9 mo and in the cocktail group was 15 mo. If adjusted for prognostic baseline characteristics, the efficacy of both regimens was not significantly different. Conclusion: Deescalated treatment activities of AcPSMA or AcPSMA and LuPSMA cocktail regimens present better tolerability with regard to xerostomia than previous regimens of at least 100 kBq/kg while retaining high antitumor activity in poor-prognosis prostate cancer patients., (© 2024 by the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging.)

Purpose: The use of [ 177 Lu]Lu-PSMA-617 radioligand therapy has become increasingly recognized as a viable therapeutic approach for patients in the advanced stages of metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). However, there is limited data regarding its effectiveness and safety in earlier lines. This study aims to present our institution's experience with [ 177 Lu]Lu-PSMA-617 as a first-line systemic therapy for mCRPC., Methods: We collected and analyzed data from consecutive mCRPC patients who underwent first-line treatment with [ 177 Lu]Lu-PSMA-617 at our center from 2015 to 2023. The various outcome measures included best prostate-specific antigen-response rate (PSA-RR) (proportion of patients achieving a ≥ 50% decline in PSA); objective radiographic response rate (ORR) (proportion of patients achieving complete or partial radiographic responses); radiographic progression-free survival (rPFS) (measured from treatment initiation until radiographic progression or death from any cause); overall survival (OS) (measured from treatment initiation until death from any cause); and adverse events., Results: Forty treatment-naïve mCRPC patients with PSMA-positive disease on [ 68 Ga]Ga-PSMA-11 PET/CT were included (median age: 68.5 years, range: 45-78; median PSA: 41 ng/mL, range: 1-3028). These patients received a median cumulative activity of 22.2 GBq (range: 5.55-44.4) [ 177 Lu]Lu-PSMA-617 over 1-6 cycles at 8-12 week intervals. A ≥ 50% decline in PSA was observed in 25/40 (62.5%) patients (best PSA-RR). Radiographic responses were evaluated for thirty-eight patients, with thirteen showing partial responses (ORR 34.2%). Over a median follow-up of 36 months, the median rPFS was 12 months (95% confidence interval, CI: 9-15), and the median OS was 17 months (95% CI: 12-22). Treatment-emergent grade ≥ 3 anemia, leucopenia, and thrombocytopenia were noted in 4/40 (10%), 1/40 (2.5%), and 3/40 (7.5%) patients, respectively., Conclusion: The findings suggest that [ 177 Lu]Lu-PSMA-617 is a safe and effective option as a first-line treatment in mCRPC. Further trials are needed to definitively establish its role as an upfront treatment modality in this setting., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

This review paper highlights the transformative role of PSMA-targeted diagnostics and therapy in prostate cancer management, particularly focusing on 177 Lu-PSMA-617, approved by the FDA and EMA for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) patients post-chemotherapy and ARPI treatment. Originating from the VISION trial's success, this paper navigates the current radioligand therapy (RLT) indications, emphasizing practical patient selection, planning, and treatment execution. It critically examines Lu-PSMA's comparative effectiveness against cabazitaxel and Ra-223, addressing decision-making dilemmas for mCRPC treatments. Furthermore, the paper discusses Lu-PSMA in chemotherapy-naïve patients and its application in hormone-sensitive prostate cancer, underlined by ongoing global studies. A significant concern is Lu-PSMA's long-term safety profile, particularly nephrotoxicity risks, necessitating further investigation. The possibility of Lu-PSMA rechallenge in responsive patients is explored, stressing the need for comprehensive analyses and real-world data to refine treatment protocols. Conclusively, PSMA-targeted therapy marks a significant advance in prostate cancer therapy, advocating for its integration into a multimodal, patient-centric treatment approach. The review underscores the imperative for additional comparative studies to optimize treatment sequences and outcomes, ultimately enhancing long-term prognosis and disease control in prostate cancer management., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: HA reports receiving honoraria from Advanced Accelerator Applications (AAA/Novartis) and Bayer Healthcare for delivering oral presentations at various conferences. KR reports honoraria from Advanced Accelerator Applications (AAA/Novartis), Bayer Healthcare, and SIRTEX and a consultancy/advisory role with ABX GmbH, ABX-CRO, Bayer, AAA, Pharmtrace, Jahnsen Cielag, Amgen, and AstraZeneca. RS has received research support from Else Kröner-Fresenius-Stiftung and Boehringer Ingelheim Funds. AAO and CK have no disclosures to report. If there are other authors, they declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Prostate Specific Membrane Antigen Positron Emission Tomography (PSMA-PET) is routinely used for the staging of patients with prostate cancer, but data on response assessment are sparse and primarily stem from metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) patients treated with PSMA radioligand therapy. Still, follow-up PSMA-PET is employed in earlier disease stages in case of clinical suspicion of disease persistence, recurrence or progression to decide if localized or systemic treatment is indicated. Therefore, the prognostic value of PSMA-PET derived tumor volumes in earlier disease stages (i.e., hormone-sensitive prostate cancer (HSPC) and non-[ 177 Lu]Lu-PSMA-617 (LuPSMA) therapy castration resistant prostate cancer (CRPC)) are evaluated in this manuscript. Methods: A total number of 73 patients (6 primary staging, 42 HSPC, 25 CRPC) underwent two (i.e., baseline and follow-up, median interval: 379 days) whole-body [ 68 Ga]Ga-PSMA-11 PET/CT scans between Nov 2014 and Dec 2018. Analysis was restricted to non-LuPSMA therapy patients. PSMA-PETs were retrospectively analyzed and primary tumor, lymph node-, visceral-, and bone metastases were segmented. Body weight-adjusted organ-specific and total tumor volumes (PSMAvol: sum of PET volumes of all lesions) were measured for baseline and follow-up. PSMAvol response was calculated as the absolute difference of whole-body tumor volumes. High metastatic burden (>5 metastases), RECIP 1.0 and PSMA-PET Progression Criteria (PPP) were determined. Survival data were sourced from the cancer registry. Results: The average number of tumor lesions per patient on the initial PET examination was 10.3 (SD 28.4). At baseline, PSMAvol was strongly associated with OS (HR 3.92, p <0.001; n = 73). Likewise, response in PSMAvol was significantly associated with OS (HR 10.48, p < 0.005; n = 73). PPP achieved significance as well (HR 2.19, p <0.05, n = 73). Patients with hormone sensitive disease and poor PSMAvol response (upper quartile of PSMAvol change) in follow-up had shorter outcome (p < 0.05; n = 42). PSMAvol in bones was the most relevant parameter for OS prognostication at baseline and for response assessment (HR 31.11 p < 0.001; HR 32.27, p < 0.001; n = 73). Conclusion: PPP and response in PSMAvol were significantly associated with OS in the present heterogeneous cohort. Bone tumor volume was the relevant miTNM region for OS prognostication. Future prospective evaluation of the performance of organ specific PSMAvol in more homogeneous cohorts seems warranted., Competing Interests: Competing Interests: David Kersting reports fees from Pfizer (research funding, speaker honoraria), Novartis (speaker honoraria), and funding by the German Research Foundation (DFG, KE2933/1-1) outside of the submitted work. Tugce Telli reports speaker fee from Abx not related to current work. Ken Herrmann, Amgen, AstraZeneca, Bain Capital, Bayer, Boston Scientific, Convergent, Curium, Debiopharm reports receiving consultant fees from Advanced Accelerator Applications, a Novartis company, EcoR1, Fusion, GE Healthcare, Immedica, Isotopen Technologien München, Janssen, Merck, Molecular Partners, NVision, POINT Biopharma, Pfizer, Radiopharm Theranostics, Rhine Pharma, Siemens Healthineers, Sofie Biosciences, Telix, and Theragnostics, ymabs, travel fees from Janssen, payment for educational events from PeerVoice, receiving research grants from Novartis and Sofie Biosciences, having stock or stock option interests with AdvanCell, Aktis Oncology, Convergent, NVision, Pharma 15, and Sofie Biosciences, reports serving on advisory boards for Fusion, GE Healthcare. Axel Rominger has received research support and speaker honoraria from Siemens Healthineers. Wolfgang P. Fendler reports fees from SOFIE Bioscience (research funding), Janssen (consultant, speaker), Calyx (consultant, image review), Bayer (consultant, speaker, research funding), Novartis (speaker, consultant), Telix (speaker), GE Healthcare (speaker), Eczacıbaşı Monrol (speaker), Abx (speaker), Amgen (speaker), Urotrials (speaker) outside of the submitted work. Boris Hadaschik reports serving on advisory boards for Janssen, Bayer, ABX, Lightpoint, Amgen, MSD, Pfizer, and Novartis; being an invited speaker for Accord, Astellas, and Janssen; receiving institutional royalties from Uromed; receiving institutional funding from AAA/Novartis, Bristol Myers Squibb, MS, and German Research Foundation; holding an advisory role for German Cancer Aid; and holding a leadership role/speaker for DKG AUO and DGU. Christopher Darr reports personal fees from Janssen-Cilag and Bayer, travel fees from Janssen-Cilag and Ipsen. Lale Umutlu is a Speaker/Advisory Board Member for Bayer Healthcare and Siemens Healthcare and received research grants from Siemens Healthcare outside of the submitted work. Ken Herrmann reports personal fees from Bayer SIRTEX Adacap Curium Endocyte IPSEN Siemens Healthineers GE Healthcare Amgen Novartis and ymabs personal fees and other from Sofie Biosciences non-financial support from ABX grants and personal fees from BTG outside the submitted work. Robert Seifert has received research support from Boehringer Ingelheim Fonds and Else Kröner-Fresenius-Stiftung. All other authors have no conflicts of interest to declare., (© The author(s).)

177 Lu-PSMA therapy is an effective treatment in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer. SUV mean is a valuable screening biomarker to assess the suitability for 177 Lu-PSMA therapy but requires quantitative software. This study aims to develop a simple, clinically applicable prostate-specific membrane antigen PET/CT score that encompasses the elements of SUV mean without requiring additional quantification. Methods: Datasets from ethics-approved trials of patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer after androgen receptor signaling inhibition and taxane chemotherapy (or unfit for taxane), who were treated with 177 Lu-PSMA-617 and 177 Lu-PSMA I&T with a pretreatment screening with 68 Ga-PSMA-11 PET/CT, and clinical outcome data, including a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) 50% response rate (PSA50), PSA progression-free survival (PSA-PFS), and overall survival (OS), were included. The screening 68 Ga-PSMA-11 PET/CT of all participants was analyzed both semiquantitatively and visually. Semiquantitative analysis was used to derive the SUV mean Visual analysis of the 68 Ga-PSMA-11 PET/CT images involved a binary visual heterogeneity assessment (homogeneous or heterogeneous), allocating a tumor SUV max range (<15, 15-29, 30-49, 50-79, or ≥80). A 4-category score incorporating both heterogeneity and intensity of tumors (HIT) was then developed as a combination of heterogeneity and intensity (SUV max range). The SUV max was less than 15 for score 1, 15-79 with heterogeneous intensity for score 2, 15-79 with homogeneous intensity for score 3, and 80 or greater for score 4. This score was evaluated according to clinical outcomes (PSA50, PSA-PFS, and OS) and compared with SUV mean Results: Data from 139 participants were analyzed. In total, 75 (54%) patients achieved a PSA50 with a median PSA-PFS of 5.5 mo (95% CI, 4.1-6.0 mo) and an OS of 13.5 mo (95% CI, 11.1-17.9 mo). SUV mean was associated with PSA50 and survival outcomes when analyzed as a continuous variable or as quartiles. The PSA50 for HIT scores 1-4 was 0%, 39%, 65%, and 76%, respectively. The HIT score was strongly related to PSA-PFS and OS (log-rank test, P < 0.001 and P = 0.002). The median PSA-PFS for HIT scores 1-4 was 1.0, 4.1, 6.0, and 8.5, respectively, and the median OS was 7.6, 12.0, 18.5, and 16.9 mo, respectively. Cohen κ between readers for the HIT score was 0.71. Conclusion: A prostate-specific membrane antigen PET/CT score incorporating HIT derived from tools on a standard PET workstation is comparable with quantitative SUV mean as a prognostic tool following 177 Lu-PSMA therapy., (© 2024 by the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging.)

Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Abstract: Prostate carcinoma (PC) is the second most common malignant tumor in males globally. The metastatic spread of PC usually involves the pelvic and abdominal lymph nodes and the skeletal system. Cutaneous metastases are exceedingly uncommon and typically manifest themselves late in the disease course, considered as ominous sign with limited treatment options and a poor prognosis. We describe a patient wherein 68 Ga-PSMA-11 PET/CT detected multiple uncommon metastatic sites in the cutaneous region of the scrotum, penis, and thigh, as well as in the subcutaneous region of anterior abdominal wall, and in bilateral adrenal glands. These findings served as a theranostic tool for selecting 177 Lu-PSMA-617 treatment for these extremely rare metastatic sites., (Copyright © 2024 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background/aim: The current systematic review aimed to collect and analyze all available published and unpublished cases in which prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA)-targeted radioligand therapy ( 177 Lu-PSMA) was used to treat non-prostatic cancer., Materials and Methods: Literature search and evidence acquisition through contacts with organizations that use 177 Lu-PSMA were employed. PubMed/Medline, SCOPUS, and ScienceDirect searches were performed following PRISMA recommendations. The search strategy was to screen all articles describing 177 Lu-PSMA radioligand therapy published to date with the key word " 177 Lu-PSMA". These articles were collected and screened for non-prostatic cancer cases. Quality assessment was performed using the GRADE criteria., Results: A total of 713 articles were screened, and the search revealed 15 eligible records. Forty patients with a mean age of 51.2±18.5 years were treated with 177 Lu-PSMA for non-prostatic cancer. Of them, 30 cases were published, and 10 were found in medical institution records. Cancers of the salivary glands were most often targeted (13/40), followed by various brain cancer types (8/40), and osteosarcoma (6/40). The authors used previously established protocols for castration-resistant prostate cancer with the dose per cycle as 6.0-7.4 GBq and the number of cycles between one and four. Toxicity was estimated as low, and 21 out of 28 patients with reported outcomes survived to the time of the publication., Conclusion: PSMA-targeted radioligand therapy was infrequently used to treat different non-prostatic cancer types in various target organs. These pioneering efforts indicate that 177 Lu-PSMA can be used to treat non-prostatic cancer with PSMA expression. The toxicity of such treatment was low, and the outcome was relatively good., (Copyright © 2024 International Institute of Anticancer Research (Dr. George J. Delinasios), All rights reserved.)

Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Abstract: A 69-year-old man diagnosed with progressive bone metastatic castration-resistant prostate adenocarcinoma and concurrent alcoholic cirrhosis with multiple hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) nodules was referred to our nuclear medicine service for 177 Lu-PSMA-617 therapy. The patient's pretreatment screening using 68 Ga-PSMA-11 PET/CT revealed high prostate-specific membrane antigen expression in both prostatic and HCC lesions. The patient underwent 2 doses of 177 Lu-PSMA-617. Subsequent imaging assessments with 68 Ga-PSMA-11 PET/CT and hepatic MRI indicated progressive HCC nodules, while showing a partial response in prostatic bone metastases. Positive clinical and biological responses were observed only in prostatic disease, but not in HCC nodules., Competing Interests: Conflicts of interest and sources of funding: none declared., (Copyright © 2024 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Clinical trials of prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) targeted radiopharmaceuticals have shown encouraging results. Some agents, like lutetium-177 [177Lu]Lu-PSMA-617 ([ 177 Lu]Lu-PSMA-617), are already approved for late line treatment of metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). Projections are for continued growth of this treatment modality; [ 177 Lu]Lu-PSMA-617 is being studied both in earlier stages of disease and in combination with other anti-cancer therapies. Further, the drug development pipeline is deep with variations of PSMA-targeting radionuclides, including higher energy alpha particles conjugated to PSMA-honing vectors. It is safe to assume that an increasing number of patients will be exposed to PSMA-targeted radiopharmaceuticals during the course of their cancer treatment. In this setting, it is important to better understand and mitigate the most commonly encountered toxicities. One particularly vexing side effect is xerostomia. In this review, we discuss the scope of the problem, inventories to better characterize and monitor this troublesome side effect, and approaches to preserve salivary function and effectively palliate symptoms. This article aims to serve as a useful reference for prescribers of PSMA-targeted radiopharmaceuticals, while also commenting on areas of missing data and opportunities for future research., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Hepatic encephalopathy (HE), a morbid ordeal affecting chronic liver disease patients always insists for the search of a rational, superior & infallible agent beyond the time-proven standards i.e., Lactulose & Rifaximin. In this RCT, we compared the efficacy of intravenous (IV) L-ornithine-L-aspartate(LOLA) versus Oral LOLA in patients with chronic liver disease(CLD) enduring overt Hepatic Encephalopathy(OHE). 40 CLD patients with OHE were randomly assigned IV or oral LOLA in a 1:1 ratio. Patients were graded for HE and monitored for serum ammonia levels from day 1 to day 5. The aim was to compare IV versus oral LOLA efficacy in HE grades improvement and its correlation with ammonia levels. The study was registered with clinical trials registry-India, CTRI/2020/12/029943. Baseline characteristics of patients in both groups were similar. The mean difference in ammonia levels from day 1 to day 5 was 55.4 ± 32.58 µmol/L in the IV LOLA group and 60.75 ± 13.82 µmol/L in the oral LOLA group (p = 0.511). Significant reductions in ammonia levels were observed from day 1 to day 5 within each group (p < 0.001). HE grade & ammonia correlated positively in both groups. LOLA, regardless of administration route, has demonstrated efficacy in OHE., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: PSMA PET/CT is a predictive and prognostic biomarker for determining response to [ 177 Lu]Lu-PSMA-617 in patients with metastatic castration resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). Thresholds defined to date may not be generalizable to newer image reconstruction algorithms. Bayesian penalized likelihood (BPL) reconstruction algorithm is a novel reconstruction algorithm that may improve contrast whilst preventing introduction of image noise. The aim of this study is to compare the quantitative parameters obtained using BPL and the Ordered Subset Expectation Maximization (OSEM) reconstruction algorithms., Methods: Fifty consecutive patients with mCRPC who underwent [ 68 Ga]Ga-PSMA-11 PET/CT using OSEM reconstruction to assess suitability for [ 177 Lu]Lu-PSMA-617 therapy were selected. BPL algorithm was then used retrospectively to reconstruct the same PET raw data. Quantitative and volumetric measurements such as tumour standardised uptake value (SUV)max, SUVmean and Molecular Tumour Volume (MTV-PSMA) were calculated on both reconstruction methods. Results were compared (Bland-Altman, Pearson correlation coefficient) including subgroups with low and high-volume disease burdens (MTV-PSMA cut-off 40 mL)., Results: The SUVmax and SUVmean were higher, and MTV-PSMA was lower in the BPL reconstructed images compared to the OSEM group, with a mean difference of 8.4 (17.5%), 0.7 (8.2%) and - 21.5 mL (-3.4%), respectively. There was a strong correlation between the calculated SUVmax, SUVmean, and MTV-PSMA values in the OSEM and BPL reconstructed images (Pearson r values of 0.98, 0.99, and 1.0, respectively). No patients were reclassified from low to high volume disease or vice versa when switching from OSEM to BPL reconstruction., Conclusions: [ 68 Ga]Ga-PSMA-11 PET/CT quantitative and volumetric parameters produced by BPL and OSEM reconstruction methods are strongly correlated. Differences are proportional and small for SUVmean, which is used as a predictive biomarker. Our study suggests that both reconstruction methods are acceptable without clinical impact on quantitative or volumetric findings. For longitudinal comparison, committing to the same reconstruction method would be preferred to ensure consistency., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Abstract: In this note, we aim to present a patient with a known case of prostate cancer with widespread metastasis to the skeleton and liver who has undergone several cycles of chemoradiotherapy. The patient received 2 doses of 177 Lu-prostate-specific membrane antigen therapy, in which several zones of uptake were detected on the thoracic wall compatible with cutaneous metastatic lesions of prostate cancer., Competing Interests: Conflicts of interest and sources of funding: none declared., (Copyright © 2024 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)