Role of sodium fluoride PET imaging for identification of bony metastases in prostate cancer patients.

Sodium fluoride (Na-F) PET/CT is an imaging technique which allows radiolabeled fluoride to help detect areas of bone turnover. Detecting metastatic prostate cancer earlier than is currently possible with standard imaging may help prevent unnecessary morbidity for patients and improve staging in an effort to more accurately select the appropriate therapy at an appropriate time. Na-F PET/CT has been investigated as a means to help detect osseous metastatic disease in prostate cancer. It is still unclear which clinical circumstances are beneficial for a patient to undergo Na-F PET/CT in addition to, or instead of, the current standard imaging. This review examines the most recent publications related to this topic.