Choline PET/CT Imaging for Management of Prostate Cancer

Whole-body Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography (PET/CT) with [11C]and [18F]-labeled choline derivatives has emerged as a promising molecular imaging modality for evaluation of prostate cancer. 11C-choline and 18F-flurocholine PET/CT examinations have been shown to be effective for restaging of prostate cancer patients with biochemical disease recurrence after undergoing definitive therapy, especially those with a serum prostate-specific antigen level >1.0 ng/mL. On the other hand, they have more limited roles for initial staging of prostate cancer or detection of tiny lymph node metastasis, due to the low spatial resolution inherent with PET. Overall, these modalities are most useful for cases with a high pre-test suspicion of metastatic disease. Here, we review the current clinical roles of 11C-choline and 18F-fluorocholine PET/CT for management of patients with prostate cancer.