Imaging Locally Advanced, Recurrent, and Metastatic Prostate Cancer

IMPORTANCE: Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in US men. The course of prostate cancer is highly variable, and timely and accurate detection of clinically significant cancer is critical in positively affecting outcomes. OBSERVATIONS: Molecular imaging methods and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are the most promising new developments for prostate tumor visualization. While the benefits of MRI are many, positron emission tomography (PET) radiotracers are still available only as research tools. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: The current research-based evidence on PET imaging has demonstrated encouraging potential in the initial diagnosis and detection of recurrence and metastases of prostate cancer.