Dr. Todd Cohen earned his MD from the University of Rochester and completed a Urology
residency at the Cleveland Clinic, followed by a fellowship at Duke. He founded Piedmont
Urology in Charlotte, NC, and co-founded Carolina Urology Partners, serving as CEO for nine
years. He held leadership roles at Myriad Genetics and currently serves as VP of Medical Affairs
at Blue Earth Diagnostics. He enjoys fly fishing, other outdoor activities and is a pathologic
Boston Red Sox fan.

Presentation:

Dr. Cohen will lead a talk about the use of prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) Positron-
emission tomography (PET), which can help inform doctors about prostate cancer diagnosis

PSMA PET imaging is a special X-ray that allows physicians to see prostate cancer cells with
much better accuracy than many standard imaging studies, e.g., CT scan, MRI, and bone scans.
PSMA is a protein on the surface of prostate cells and is found in high amounts on many prostate
cancer cells. Simply, PSMA acts like a flag on prostate cancer cells that can be targeted and seen
when doctors use a special radioactive agent called a tracer.

During a PSMA PET scan, a small amount of a tracer is injected into the bloodstream. This
tracer attaches to PSMA proteins allowing the PET scanner to show areas where prostate cancer
cells may be located in the body. Because the tracer seeks out PSMA “flags,” the PET scan can
often detect very small areas of cancer that may not be visible on standard imaging studies. This
technology can identify small lymph node, bone, or soft tissue metastases that may influence
decisions regarding surgery, radiation therapy, systemic treatment, or targeted therapies such as
radioligand therapies.

PSMA PET has become increasingly important for initial staging of higher-risk prostate cancer,
detection of recurrence after treatment, and evaluation of metastatic disease. As experience with
PSMA PET grows, it is reshaping how clinicians assess the extent and biology of prostate cancer
in patients.