Ga 68 PSMA-11

Prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) is a type II transmembrane glycoprotein expressed throughout the body, such as in lacrimal and salivary glands, the kidneys, small intestine, liver and spleen. It is highly associated with tumour-associated angiogenesis and has been described in various tumours, such as prostate cancer, glioblastoma, thyroid cancer, gastric cancer, breast cancer, renal cancer, and colorectal cancers. The expression of PSMA has been linked to the degree of tumour differentiation, as it is overexpressed particularly in poorly differentiated and metastatic lesions. PSMA has been extensively studied as a reliable target for imaging and therapy for prostate cancer, as it is overexpressed one-hundred to one thousand-fold in over 90 % of primary prostate cancers.

Positron emission tomography (PET) is a type of molecular imaging used to improve the accuracy of detecting prostate cancer at an earlier time and examine tumour characteristics. Ga-68 PSMA-11 is a PSMA-targeted imaging agent for PET that binds to PSMA via clathrin-coated pits, resulting in endosome accumulation and the internalization of the PSMA-drug complex.