UCSF and UCLA Host First Annual PSMA PET Conference in January

University of California prostate cancer experts will share clinical insights at the first annual PSMA Conference, “PSMA PET and RLT: Present and Future.” The conference will take place online and in-person in San Francisco on Jan. 18-19, 2024. The event is co-sponsored by the UC San Francisco and UCLA, with support from the Prostate Cancer Foundation.

The conference is designed to inform physicians about the latest developments in prostate-specific membrane antigen PET imaging (PSMA PET) and radioligand therapy, including imaging interpretation and patient management. As early adopters of PSMA PET imaging and radioligand therapy, UCSF and UCLA clinicians and researchers will share their experiences and insights about future treatment directions.

Additionally, there will be presentations, panel discussions and exhibits from both domestic and international experts in the field. Topics include:

• How to interpret PSMA PET scans
• The selection of patients for PSMA radioligand therapy
• Patient management and potential toxicities for PSMA radioligand therapy
• Case-based tumor board discussions

The conference organizers are Thomas Hope, MD, vice chair of the UCSF Department of Radiology and Jeremie Calais, MD, and Johannes Czernin, MD, of the UCLA Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology.

Guest speakers include Michael Morris, MD, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center; Oliver Sartor, MD, Tulane Cancer Center; Louise Emmett, MD, St. Vincent’s Hospital Sydney; Matthias Eiber, MD, Technische Universität München and Wolfgang Fendler, MD, University of Duisburg-Essen.

Registration for in-person and virtual attendance is now open.

Clinicians are also encouraged to present posters about their research work, with awards for poster presenters. The submission deadline for posters is Dec. 1.

“We hope that this conference will be the go-to source for learning about PSMA PET and radioligand therapies, both of which are changing the landscape of prostate cancer treatment,” said Hope.

UCSF, UCLA, and their nuclear medicine teams first obtained approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to offer PSMA PET in December 2020. A clinical trial conducted by their combined research teams on the effectiveness of PSMA PET proved pivotal in garnering FDA approval for the technique at both universities.

About UCSF Health: UCSF Health is recognized worldwide for its innovative patient care, reflecting the latest medical knowledge, advanced technologies and pioneering research. It includes the flagship UCSF Medical Center, which is a top-ranked specialty hospital, as well as UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals, with campuses in San Francisco and Oakland, Langley Porter Psychiatric Hospital and Clinics, UCSF Benioff Children’s Physicians and the UCSF Faculty Practice. These hospitals serve as the academic medical center of the University of California, San Francisco, which is world-renowned for its graduate-level health sciences education and biomedical research. UCSF Health has affiliations with hospitals and health organizations throughout the Bay Area. Visit ucsfhealth.org. Follow UCSF Health on Facebook or on Twitter.

About UCLA Health: UCLA Health is among the most comprehensive and advanced health care systems in the world. The health system’s mission is to provide state-of-the-art patient care, generate research discoveries leading to new treatments and diagnoses, and train future generations of health care professionals. The UCLA Hospital System and the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA strive every day to be a leader in setting the standards of excellence. UCSF Health offers a comprehensive network of primary and specialty care services at more than 260 clinics throughout Southern California and at four world-class medical centers – Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital, UCLA Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital and UCLA Santa Monica Medical Center. UCLA enhances access by providing care at numerous affiliate sites and via community-based programs.