WESTON, Fla. – Specialists have a new, more precise way to detect recurring or metastatic prostate cancer.
Dr. Albert Parlade, a radiologist with Cleveland Clinic Weston, said the test called a PSMA Pet Scan can benefit the estimated 20 to 30 percent of men who have a relapse of their cancer approximately five years after initial treatment.
“What’s exciting about it is it’s like a traditional pet CT scan but it’s very specific for prostate cancer. It allows us to detect prostate cancer much earlier than we used to be able to and much better than our traditional imaging modalities would allow us to,” he said.
Parlade said because the test is so precise, it can catch cancers that might otherwise have gone undetected.
About 13 percent of American men will get prostate cancer in their lifetime, a risk that rises with age.
And a Scandinavian study finds that prenatal exposure to high-dose folic acid raised the risk of cancer in children of mothers with epilepsy.
Study authors say the results should be considered when the risks and benefits of folic acid supplements for women with epilepsy are discussed and before decisions about optimal dose recommendations are made.
No increased cancer risk was found among mothers who were not on anti-seizure medications for epilepsy.