High SUVs Have More Robust Repeatability in Patients with Metastatic Prostate Cancer: Results from a Prospective Test-Retest Cohort Imaged with 18F-DCFPyL
Authors: Werner Rudolf A. , Habacha Bilêl , Lütje Susanne , Bundschuh Lena , Higuchi Takahiro , Hartrampf Philipp , Serfling Sebastian E. , Derlin Thorsten , Lapa Constantin , Buck Andreas K. , Essler Markus , Pienta Kenneth J. , Eisenberger Mario A. , Markowski Mark C. , Shinehouse Laura , AbdAllah Rehab , Salavati Ali , Lodge Martin A. , Pomper Martin G. , Gorin Michael A. , Bundschuh Ralph A. , Rowe Steven P. 
Published: February 2022

Objectives. In patients with prostate cancer (PC) receiving prostate-specific membrane antigen- (PSMA-) targeted radioligand therapy (RLT), higher baseline standardized uptake values (SUVs) are linked to improved outcome. Thus, readers deciding on RLT must have certainty on the repeatability of PSMA uptake metrics. As such, we aimed to evaluate the test-retest repeatability of lesion uptake in a large cohort of patients imaged with 18F-DCFPyL. Methods. In this prospective, IRB-approved trial ( NCT03793543 ), 21 patients with history of histologically proven PC underwent two 18F-DCFPyL PET/CTs within 7 days (mean 3.7, range 1 to 7 days). Lesions in the bone, lymph nodes (LN), and other organs were manually segmented on both scans, and uptake parameters were assessed (maximum (SUVmax) and mean (SUVmean) SUVs), PSMA-tumor volume (PSMA-TV), and total lesion PSMA (TL-PSMA, defined as [Formula: see text])). Repeatability was determined using Pearson’s correlations, within-subject coefficient of variation (wCOV), and Bland-Altman analysis. Results. In total, 230 pairs of lesions (177 bone, 38 LN, and 15 other) were delineated, demonstrating a wide range of SUVmax (1.5–80.5) and SUVmean (1.4–24.8). Including all sites of suspected disease, SUVs had a strong interscan correlation ([Formula: see text]), with high repeatability for SUVmean and SUVmax (wCOV, 7.3% and 12.1%, respectively). High SUVs showed significantly improved wCOV relative to lower SUVs ([Formula: see text]), indicating that high SUVs are more repeatable, relative to the magnitude of the underlying SUV. Repeatability for PSMA-TV and TL-PSMA, however, was low ([Formula: see text]%). Across all metrics for LN and bone lesions, interscan correlation was again strong ([Formula: see text]). Moreover, LN-based SUVmean also achieved the best wCOV (3.8%), which was significantly reduced when compared to osseous lesions (7.8%, [Formula: see text]). This was also noted for SUVmax (wCOV, LN 8.8% vs. bone 12.0%, [Formula: see text]). On a compartment-based level, wCOVs for volumetric features were ≥22.8%, demonstrating no significant differences between LN and bone lesions (PSMA-TV, P =0.63; TL-PSMA, P =0.9). Findings on an entire tumor burden level were also corroborated in a hottest lesion analysis investigating the SUVmax of the most intense lesion per patient ([Formula: see text], 0.99; wCOV, 11.2%). Conclusion. In this prospective test-retest setting, SUV parameters demonstrated high repeatability, in particular in LNs, while volumetric parameters demonstrated low repeatability. Further, the large number of lesions and wide distribution of SUVs included in this analysis allowed for the demonstration of a dependence of repeatability on SUV, with higher SUVs having more robust repeatability.