Advanced PET/CT Scans Improve Long-Term Prostate Cancer Care

UCLA study shows PSMA PET/CT can help doctors target treatment more precisely for men whose prostate cancer returns after surgery.

Published on Feb. 9, 2026

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A five-year retrospective study led by investigators at the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center found that prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) PET/CT scans can help doctors target treatment more precisely for men whose prostate cancer returns after surgery, improving long-term outcomes and potentially reducing unnecessary side effects.

Why it matters

Approximately 20% to 40% of men who have surgery for localized prostate cancer will see the cancer return within 10 years. Traditional scans often cannot pinpoint the location of recurrent cancer at low PSA levels, leading doctors to treat standard areas and potentially add unnecessary radiation or hormone therapy. PSMA PET/CT is more sensitive, allowing doctors to see the location and extent of recurrent disease and tailor treatment accordingly.

The details

The study followed 113 men whose PSA levels rose after prostate cancer surgery. All patients underwent PSMA PET/CT scans before receiving radiation therapy. Doctors used the scan results to personalize treatment, including decisions about whether to treat the whole pelvis, add androgen deprivation therapy, and deliver higher radiation doses to visible tumors. About 60% of patients had cancer detected on PSMA PET/CT, including many whose disease had spread beyond the prostate bed.

  • The study followed patients for a median of five years.

The players

UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center

A cancer research and treatment center at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Jeremie Calais

Director of the clinical research program in the department of Nuclear Medicine and Theranostics, associate professor at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, and senior author of the study.

John Nikitas

A resident in the department of radiation oncology at UCLA Health, and first author of the study.

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What they’re saying

“PSMA PET/CT scans allow us to see exactly where cancer is and tailor treatment accordingly. Patients can get the therapy they need while avoiding unnecessary side effects, and even those with no visible disease can do very well with standard radiation.”

— Jeremie Calais, Director of the clinical research program in the department of Nuclear Medicine and Theranostics, associate professor at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA (Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network)

“This research underscores the value of incorporating PSMA PET/CT findings into clinical guidelines when deciding whether to add whole-pelvis radiation or hormone therapy to salvage radiation after prostate surgery. We also found that traditional measures such as PSA level were not strongly linked to long-term response, highlighting the importance of imaging-based, rather than PSA-based, decision-making.”

— John Nikitas, Resident in the department of radiation oncology at UCLA Health (Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network)

What’s next

The study findings suggest that more personalized care is possible for men experiencing recurrent prostate cancer, and that PSMA PET/CT scans should be incorporated into clinical guidelines for deciding on treatment approaches.

The takeaway

This research demonstrates the value of advanced imaging techniques like PSMA PET/CT in improving long-term outcomes for prostate cancer patients by allowing doctors to precisely target treatment and avoid unnecessary side effects.