Potential Role of PSMA-Targeted PET in Thyroid Malignant Disease: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Background: Recently, several studies introduced the potential use of positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) with prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA)-targeting radiopharmaceuticals in radioiodine-refractory thyroid cancer (TC). Methods: The authors accomplished a comprehensive literature search of original articles concerning the performance of PSMA-targeted PET/CT in TC patients. Original papers exploring this molecular imaging examination in radioiodine-refractory TC patients undergoing restaging of their disease were included. Results: A total of 6 documents concerning the diagnostic performance of PSMA-targeted PET/CT in TC (49 patients) were included in this systematic review. The included articles reported heterogeneous values of PSMA-targeted PET/CT detection rates in TC, ranging from 25% to 100% and overall inferior to [18F]-fluorodeoxyglucose PET/CT when the two molecular imaging examinations were compared. Two studies reported the administration of [177Lu]PSMA-radioligands with theragnostic purpose in three patients. Conclusions: The available literature data in this setting are limited and heterogeneous. The employment of PET with PSMA-targeting radiopharmaceuticals in this setting did not affect patient management. Nevertheless, prospective multicentric studies are needed to properly assess its potential role in TC patients.