Automated lesion tracking and treatment response classification on [68Ga]Ga-PSMA-11 PET/CT across PPP, RECIP 1.0 and TLW frameworks
摘要
This study aimed to validate an automated lesion-tracking algorithm for [68Ga]Ga-PSMA-11 PET/CT against expert reference matches and to evaluate its integration into three PSMA-specific treatment response frameworks—the Response Evaluation Criteria in PSMA PET/CT (RECIP 1.0), PSMA PET Progression (PPP) criteria, and the Traffic Light Workflow (TLW)—in men with biochemically recurrent (BCR) prostate cancer (PCa).
MethodsPaired baseline and follow-up [68 Ga]Ga-PSMA-11 PET/CT scans from 132 BCR PCa patients were analysed using a registration-based pipeline that automatically assigned one-to-one lesion correspondences. Lesions were labelled as corresponding (CL), disappearing (DL) or new (NL). Algorithm-derived RECIP 1.0, PPP, and TLW categories were compared with expert reference labels and tested for overall survival (OS) association using univariable Cox regression.
ResultsA total of 1,066 lesions were identified (559 baseline, 507 follow-up), including 371 CLs, 188 DLs, and 136 NLs, yielding 695 matching decisions. The lesion matching algorithm achieved 95.1% matching accuracy. Lesion mismatches were associated with poorer registration quality. Algorithm-derived patient-level response classifications showed high concordance with ground-truth frameworks, with classification accuracy of 95.5% for RECIP 1.0, 96.2% for PPP, and 96.2% for TLW. All frameworks retained prognostic significance for OS, with progressive disease conferring hazard ratios (HR) of—RECIP 1.0 HR = 2.57 (95% CI 1.33–4.98), PPP HR = 2.02 (95% CI 1.04–3.90), and TLW HR = 2.29 (95% CI 1.22–4.28).
ConclusionThe automated lesion-tracking algorithm reproduced expert matches with high accuracy and preserved the prognostic utility of RECIP 1.0, PPP, and TLW in a BCR cohort, supporting its use as a reproducible lesion-matching method for quantitative response assessment on PSMA PET/CT.
Trial registration numberACTRN ACTRN12615000608561. Registered 11 June 2015. Retrospectively registered.