SHORT COMMUNICATION   Free access

Minerva Urology and Nephrology 2021 October;73(5):668-71

DOI: 10.23736/S2724-6051.20.03615-2

Copyright © 2020 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English

64CuCl2 PET/CT as a potential new imaging method in prostate cancer: illusion or reality?

Francesco CANTIELLO ¹, Fabio CROCEROSSA ¹ ✉, Giuseppe L. CASCINI ², Giorgio I. RUSSO ³, Matteo FERRO ⁴, Sebastiano CIMINO ³, Giuseppe LUCARELLI ⁵, Rocco DAMIANO ¹

¹ Department of Urology, Magna Graecia University, Catanzaro, Italy; ² Unit of Diagnostic Imaging and Nuclear Medicine, Magna Graecia University, Catanzaro, Italy; ³ Department of Urology, University of Catania, Catania, Italy; ⁴ Department of Urology, IRCCS European Institute of Oncology (IEO), Milan, Italy; ⁵ Department of Urology and Kidney Transplantation, University of Bari, Bari, Italy

Copper (Cu) is an essential element for many cellular functions, including proliferation and angiogenesis. High serum Cu levels have been demonstrated in patients with neoplasia as well as high intra-tumoral Cu levels have been reported. Preclinical and clinical evidences suggest its use, in the form of ⁶⁴Copper chloride (⁶⁴CuCl2), as metabolic PET tracer in cancer diagnosis and therapy. Specifically, the use of ⁶⁴CuCl2 in human prostate cancer (PCa) evidenced a high uptake of ⁶⁴CuCl2 in tumoral prostate and involved regional lymph nodes in a staging setting and high sensitivity for local recurrence and lymph nodes detection in restaging, indicating its great potential. However, further and more solid clinical evidences are needed. On the other hand, ⁶⁴CuCl2 seems to be a promising radiometabolic drug with great cytotoxic abilities on PCa cells. We have collected the most recent and relevant findings on its potential uses and limitations for the study and treatment of PCa, together with its possible translation in daily clinical practice.

KEY WORDS: Positron emission tomography computed tomography; Prostatic neoplasms; Nuclear medicine; Neoplasm staging; Radiotherapy