[11C]-(R)-PK11195 PET in metastatic prostate cancer

  • Research type

    Research Study

  • Full title

    [11C]-(R)-PK11195 PET in metastatic prostate cancer

  • IRAS ID

    235587

  • Contact name

    Alan Jackson

  • Contact email

    alan.jackson@manchester.ac.uk

  • Sponsor organisation

    University of Manchester

  • Duration of Study in the UK

    0 years, 10 months, 29 days

  • Research summary

    Men with advanced prostate cancer i.e. metastases to areas outside of the prostate, are treated with hormone therapies. Most men respond initially to treatment, but their disease evolves and becomes resistant to further hormonal therapy. Metastases, particularly to bone and lymph nodes, are frequent in men where therapy has become resistant. In these patients only a certain chemotherapy is available, but not all patients have benefit thereof. More than 90% of patients with metastatic hormone resistant prostate cancer have evidence of bone metastases, which are a major cause of death, disability, decreased quality of life and increased treatment costs. However, neither Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) blood testing nor responses visible on normally used imaging techniques such as Computed Tomography (CT) and bonescan, are considered to be useful to predict which patients are benefiting from therapy or not. This is despite of the fact that a PSA decrease or imaging show improvement.
    There is therefore an urgent need for new imaging techniques that better predict if there is true response to chemotherapy or not. One new imaging technique is using the drug [11C](R)-PK11195 (PK11195) as an imaging agent for PET scanning. Some studies performed on animals have shown that this drug binds to prostate cancer cells and therefore might be used for imaging of metastases in prostate cancer.
    The aim of our study therefore is to use PK11195 in patients with known advanced hormone resistant prostate cancer to determine if it can be useful in visualizing the metastases. Secondly also, in patients who are receiving chemotherapy, determine if this imaging drug can show if there is response to the therapy or not. The hope is that this new technique will enable us in future to optimize treatment for patients, enabling us to determine who might benefit from chemotherapy and who not.

  • REC name

    North West - Greater Manchester South Research Ethics Committee

  • REC reference

    18/NW/0033

  • Date of REC Opinion

    28 Mar 2018

  • REC opinion

    Further Information Favourable Opinion