Utility of PSMA PET/CT for Assessing Intra-Parotid Variability in Radiotherapy Planning

Determine whether prostate-specific membrane antigen positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PSMA PET/CT) can be used to assess intra-parotid gland anatomical variability for the purposes of radiotherapy planning, establishing its clinical utility and reliability for this specific application.

Background

PSMA PET is widely used for detecting prostate cancer but also shows notable uptake in salivary glands. Prior studies suggest intra-gland variability in radiotherapy dose response for parotid glands, motivating interest in imaging-based assessment of parotid functional anatomy.

This study investigates spatial heterogeneity of [18F]DCFPyL PSMA PET uptake within parotid glands and examines correlations with CT texture features. Despite observed heterogeneity and strong correlations with specific CT radiomic metrics, whether PSMA PET/CT can directly serve as a practical tool to assess intra-parotid anatomical variability for radiotherapy planning remains explicitly stated as unclear.