Radionuclide may be helpful in the diagnosis of bone metastasis of prostate cancer.

• A Radionuclide uses bone-seeking radioactive materials (radiopharmaceuticals) and a computer to create a picture of the bones. It may be helpful in the diagnosis of bone metastasis of prostate cancer. ^[1]
• Indications of using radionuclide imaging include:
  • Test results suggest an involvement of bone, such as increased alkaline phosphatase or calcium level
  • Unexplained bone pain in men

• PET scan has emerged as a promising staging modality for both primary and recurrent prostate cancer.
• Newer tracers have increased detection accuracies for small, incipient metastatic foci. The clinical implications of these occult PET/CT detected disease foci require organized evaluation.
• A classical positron emission tomography (PET scan) 18-F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) is of limited utility in the management of prostate cancer, as the uptake of FDG in prostate cancer is highly variable.
• Early studies suggest that 18-fluorine-labeled choline, 18-F sodium fluoride, fluciclovine F-18, and 11-carbon-labeled acetate may be better tracers for use in recurrent prostate cancer. Currently, the use of these tracers is considered investigational.^[2]