# PSMA

Source: https://onco.cc/targets/psma/  
OnCo record `psma` (Target). Data CC BY-NC 4.0, attribute "Data from OnCo (onco.cc)"; commercial use needs a licence.

## TL;DR

A protein on prostate cancer cells that lets doctors both see the cancer on a PET scan and hit it with a radioactive drug.

## Summary

Prostate-specific membrane antigen is the archetypal theranostic target. PSMA PET (Pylarify, Illuccix, Locametz, Pylarify TruVu) is standard for staging; 177Lu-PSMA-617 (Pluvicto) is approved before and after chemotherapy in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer. Alpha-emitting 225Ac-PSMA agents and PSMA-targeted bispecifics and CAR-T are in trials.

## Fields

- Kind: Target
- Last checked: 2026-09-04
- Tags: theranostic; pet-target
- Symbol: FOLH1
- Class: surface-antigen
- Biology: PSMA is a type II transmembrane glutamate carboxypeptidase; expression increases with grade and castration resistance. Also expressed in tumour neovasculature of other cancers.
- Where found: Prostate cancer (>90%); Neovasculature of RCC, glioma, others; Prostate cancer: cell-surface protein expression, read by pet rather than by sequencing 80-95% depending on disease state

## Notes

- Prostate cancer: the only prostate biomarker read by a scanner rather than a sequencer. Expression is largely restricted to prostatic epithelium, duodenal mucosa, some proximal renal tubules and colonic neuroendocrine cells among normal tissues, and it falls as tumours dedifferentiate, which is the biology behind PSMA-negative lesions and the salivary, lacrimal and renal uptake that limits dosing (Silver 1997).

## Sources

- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glutamate_carboxypeptidase_II
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glutamate_carboxypeptidase_II

## Connected records

- biomarkers: [PSMA expression by PET (PSMA-positive)](https://onco.cc/biomarkers/psma-pet-expression/)
- cancers: [Metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer](https://onco.cc/cancers/prostate-mcrpc/), [Prostate cancer](https://onco.cc/cancers/prostate/)
- drugs: [177Lu-PSMA-I&T](https://onco.cc/drugs/lu177-psma-it/), [AAA817](https://onco.cc/drugs/aaa817/), [Actinium-225 PSMA agents](https://onco.cc/drugs/ac225-psma/), [Florastamin F-18](https://onco.cc/drugs/florastamin-f18/), [Flotufolastat F-18](https://onco.cc/drugs/flotufolastat/), [FPI-2265](https://onco.cc/drugs/fpi-2265/), [Gallium-68 gozetotide (PSMA-11)](https://onco.cc/drugs/ga68-psma-11/), [HRS-4357](https://onco.cc/drugs/hrs-4357/), [Illuccix (kit for Ga-68 gozetotide)](https://onco.cc/drugs/illuccix/), [INO-5401](https://onco.cc/drugs/ino-5401/), [JNJ-87189401](https://onco.cc/drugs/jnj-87189401/), [Locametz (kit for Ga-68 gozetotide)](https://onco.cc/drugs/locametz/), [Lutetium-177 vipivotide tetraxetan](https://onco.cc/drugs/pluvicto/), [Piflufolastat F-18 / Pylarify TruVu](https://onco.cc/drugs/pylarify/), [PSMA-1007 F-18](https://onco.cc/drugs/psma-1007-f18/)
- companies: [Arsenal Biosciences](https://onco.cc/companies/arsenal-bio/), [ARTBIO](https://onco.cc/companies/artbio/), [Clarity Pharmaceuticals](https://onco.cc/companies/clarity-pharmaceuticals/), [Convergent Therapeutics](https://onco.cc/companies/convergent-therapeutics/), [Janux Therapeutics](https://onco.cc/companies/janux-therapeutics/), [Perspective Therapeutics](https://onco.cc/companies/perspective-therapeutics/), [POINT Biopharma](https://onco.cc/companies/point-biopharma/), [Telix Pharmaceuticals](https://onco.cc/companies/telix/), [Xilio Therapeutics](https://onco.cc/companies/xilio-therapeutics/)
- pathways: [Androgen receptor signalling](https://onco.cc/pathways/ar-signaling/), [Lineage plasticity & neuroendocrine transformation](https://onco.cc/pathways/lineage-plasticity-neuroendocrine/), [Organ tropism: seed and soil](https://onco.cc/pathways/organ-tropism-seed-soil/), [Prostate cancer (KEGG map)](https://onco.cc/pathways/prostate-cancer-signalling/)
- terms: [Antigen](https://onco.cc/terms/antigen/), [Ligand](https://onco.cc/terms/ligand/), [Theranostics](https://onco.cc/terms/theranostics/)
- trials: [A Clinical Trial Evaluating the Safety of TD001 In Patients With PSMA-Expressing Metastatic Prostate Cancer](https://onco.cc/trials/nct07258407/), [A Phase 1/2 Study of 177Lu-NYM032 Injection in mCRPC](https://onco.cc/trials/nct06383052/), [A Single-Arm, Blinded, Fluorescent PSMA Histopathology Trial of AS1986NS](https://onco.cc/trials/nct06906471/), [A Study of TRC003 in the Treatment of Patients With Progressive PSMA-positive mCRPC](https://onco.cc/trials/nct07567521/), [PSMA-PET to Guide Prostatectomy](https://onco.cc/trials/nct05381103/), [PSMA-PreRP](https://onco.cc/trials/psma-prerp/), [VISION](https://onco.cc/trials/vision/)
- key papers: [[ 177 Lu]Lu-PSMA-617 versus cabazitaxel in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (TheraP): a randomised, open-label, phase 2 trial](https://onco.cc/key-papers/paper-therap-lancet-2021/), [Accuracy of gallium-68 PSMA-11 PET in localising recurrent prostate cancer: a prospective single-arm clinical trial](https://onco.cc/key-papers/paper-fendler-psma-pet-biochemical-recurrence-jama-oncol-2019/), [Diagnostic accuracy of 68Ga-PSMA-11 PET for pelvic nodal metastasis detection prior to radical prostatectomy and pelvic lymph node dissection: a multicenter prospective phase 3 imaging trial](https://onco.cc/key-papers/paper-psma-prerp-hope-jama-oncol-2021/), [proPSMA: PSMA PET-CT versus conventional imaging for staging high-risk prostate cancer](https://onco.cc/key-papers/paper-propsma-hofman-lancet-2020/), [Prostate-specific membrane antigen expression in normal and malignant human tissues](https://onco.cc/key-papers/paper-silver-psma-expression-normal-malignant-tissues-ccr-1997/), [VISION: lutetium-177 PSMA-617 radioligand therapy extends survival in advanced prostate cancer](https://onco.cc/key-papers/paper-vision-nejm-2021/)
- technologies: [Auger-electron therapy](https://onco.cc/technologies/auger-electron-therapy/), [Lutetium-177 radioligand therapy](https://onco.cc/technologies/lu177-radioligand-therapy/), [PSMA PET](https://onco.cc/technologies/psma-pet/), [Radio-antibody & radio-ADC](https://onco.cc/technologies/radioimmunotherapy/), [Radioligand plus DNA-repair inhibitor combinations](https://onco.cc/technologies/radionuclide-parp-combination/), [Radioligand therapy (beta emitters)](https://onco.cc/technologies/radioligand-therapy/), [T-cell engagers (bispecific)](https://onco.cc/technologies/t-cell-engager/), [Targeted alpha therapy](https://onco.cc/technologies/targeted-alpha-therapy/)
- institutions: [Heidelberg University Hospital / NCT / DKFZ](https://onco.cc/institutions/heidelberg-nct/), [Inselspital, Bern University Hospital / University Cancer Center Inselspital](https://onco.cc/institutions/inselspital-bern/), [IRCCS Istituto Romagnolo per lo Studio dei Tumori 'Dino Amadori' (IRST)](https://onco.cc/institutions/irst-meldola/), [Purdue Institute for Cancer Research](https://onco.cc/institutions/purdue-cancer-research/), [UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center](https://onco.cc/institutions/ucla-jonsson/), [UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center](https://onco.cc/institutions/ucsf/), [University Hospital Düsseldorf / CIO Düsseldorf](https://onco.cc/institutions/uk-duesseldorf/)
- pairings: [PSMA PET → PSMA radioligand therapy](https://onco.cc/pairings/psma-pet-to-rlt/)
- people: [A. Oliver Sartor](https://onco.cc/people/oliver-sartor/), [Clemens Kratochwil](https://onco.cc/people/clemens-kratochwil/), [Declan G. Murphy](https://onco.cc/people/declan-murphy/), [Jason S. Lewis](https://onco.cc/people/jason-lewis/), [Jeremie Calais](https://onco.cc/people/jeremie-calais/), [Johannes Czernin](https://onco.cc/people/johannes-czernin/), [Ken Herrmann](https://onco.cc/people/ken-herrmann/), [Louise Emmett](https://onco.cc/people/louise-emmett/), [Michael Hofman](https://onco.cc/people/hofman-michael/), [Michael J. Morris](https://onco.cc/people/michael-morris/), [Owen N. Witte](https://onco.cc/people/owen-witte/), [Peter Bartenstein](https://onco.cc/people/peter-bartenstein/), [Rahul Aggarwal](https://onco.cc/people/rahul-aggarwal/), [Shahneen Sandhu](https://onco.cc/people/sandhu-shahneen/), [Thomas A. Hope](https://onco.cc/people/thomas-hope/), [Uwe Haberkorn](https://onco.cc/people/uwe-haberkorn/)
- collections: [Prostate Cancer Foundation (PCF)](https://onco.cc/collections/prostate-cancer-foundation/)
- targets: [CD28](https://onco.cc/targets/cd28/)

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JSON: https://onco.cc/api/v1/entities/psma.json