C-11 Choline PET-CT Scan in Finding Metastases in Patients With Newly Diagnosed High-Risk Prostate Cancer

OBJECTIVES:

Primary

To determine the sensitivity and specificity of PET-CT scan using C-11 choline in detecting bone and lymph node metastases in patients with newly diagnosed high-risk adenocarcinoma of the prostate.

Secondary

To perform semi-quantitative analysis of tracer uptake using standard uptake values and qualitative analysis using pure visual analysis.
To develop an algorithm that includes the routine use of C-11 choline PET-CT scan for the staging of patients with prostate cancer at high risk of metastatic disease.
To determine whether the presence of C-11 choline PET-CT scan positivity in these patients is predictive of outcomes, including biochemical relapse-free survival, time to development of clinically apparent metastases, time to local failure, and overall survival.
To obtain tissue specimens from these patients for correlative studies and further evaluation.
To obtain information regarding the feasibility and characteristics of C-11 choline PET-CT scan after androgen suppression.

OUTLINE: Patients undergo CT scan of the abdomen and pelvis with IV contrast and a bone scan. Patients also undergo a C-11 choline PET-CT scan*. In the case of any positive scan, patients undergo a needle biopsy. If the biopsy is negative for metastatic disease or if the biopsy is positive for metastatic disease in a draining lymph node region, patients receive radiotherapy and hormonal (antiandrogen) therapy. If the biopsy is positive for metastatic disease at any other site, patients receive hormonal therapy alone.

NOTE: *The first 10 patients enrolled on the study who have a positive PET-CT scan and positive biopsy undergo a second PET-CT scan at 6 months after the initial PET-CT scan.

Patients are followed every 3 months for 1 year and then every 6 months for 1 year.