What the trial was testing
The EMPIRE-1 enrolled 165 patients with prostate cancer. The study was sponsored by Emory University and tracked outcomes across the full group of patients who matched the trial's eligibility profile.
It was mid-stage testing (phase 2/3). Trials at this stage are designed to produce evidence regulators and physicians can act on — not just observations to follow up later.
What the results showed
76% of men who got the advanced scan before radiation were cancer-free at 3 years, versus 63% with standard imaging.
Lancet (London, England) · 2021 · NCT01666808
These findings — that advanced PET scan before radiation improved outcomes vs. standard scans — were published in the Lancet (London, England) and represent the headline result of the study.
Researchers tracked outcomes across 165 patients enrolled in the trial. The result was consistent enough across the group that the team felt confident reporting it.
What this means for patients
For patients with prostate cancer, this result changes the calculus on what to ask their care team about. Whether it changes day-to-day care depends on factors like disease subtype, prior treatments, and where the patient is in their care journey.
What you can do now
If your PSA is rising after prostate surgery and your doctor is planning radiation, ask about this imaging scan — it helped radiation work better in this study. The scan is FDA-approved and may help your radiation oncologist find and treat cancer more accurately. Your insurance may cover it.
Eligibility for the treatments mentioned above depends on specific test results and clinical history. Bring this summary, the trial name, and your most recent labs or pathology report to your next visit.
Open prostate cancer trials
A First-in-human (FIH), Phase 1 Study of ML261, an Autologous Potency Enhanced Anti-DLL3 CAR T Cell Therapy, in Participants With R/R SCLC or Select NECs (SPECTRAL-1)
This is a first-in-human (FIH), open-label, Phase 1 study designed to evaluate the safety, pharmacokinetics (PK), and preliminary efficacy of ML261, an autologous potency enhanced anti-DLL3 CAR T cell therapy, in participants with R/R SCLC or select NECs
Image-guided Focal Brachytherapy Utilizing Combined 18F-DCFPyl PET/CT
The Principal Investigator's (PI) working hypothesis is that the PI can utilize the high predictive value of 18F-DCFPyl PSMA to identify clinically significant tumors in patients who will undergo brachytherapy, as well as areas which are uninvolved or contain only clinically insignificant disease. In the PI's clinical trial, the uninvolved regions (as defined by combined PET-MR-biopsy data) will not be targeted and receive only fall-off dose, which we have shown to be associated with reductions in toxicity.