BACKGROUND: PSMA-targeted radioligand therapies (PSMA RLT) are an effective and safe option for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer, but responsive subtypes and their biomarkers are not fully defined. METHODS: Plasma samples for cell-free DNA (cfDNA) analysis were collected from 17 patients undergoing [¹⁷⁷Lu]Lu-PSMA-I&T. CfDNA underwent whole-genome sequencing to establish copy number variation (CNV) profiles and circulating-tumor DNA (ctDNA) levels and compared between prostate-specific antigen (PSA) response- and 1-year overall survival (1YOS) groups. RESULTS: Non-responders exhibited higher degrees of cfDNA CNV burden (P = 0.048) and higher ctDNA levels (P = 0.036) than responders. Both markers allowed for the differentiation of responses (AUC: 0.792, 0.806) and 1YOS (AUC: 0.778, 0.847). CONCLUSION: Unresponsive patients exhibited higher levels of cfDNA genomic instability and ctDNA levels, warranting genome-wide CNV profiling studies next to targeted approaches for mechanistic radiobiological insights and their value as response biomarkers for PSMA RLTs.

Christian Doppler Laboratory for Applied Metabolomics Medical University of Vienna Vienna Austria

Department of Biomedical Imaging and Image Guided Therapy Division of Nuclear Medicine Medical University of Vienna Währinger Gürtel 18 20 Vienna 1090 Austria

Department of Pathology Medical University of Vienna Vienna Austria

Department of Urology 2nd Faculty of Medicine Charles University Prague Czech Republic

Department of Urology and Andrology University Hospital Krems Krems Austria

Department of Urology Medical University of Vienna Vienna Austria

Department of Urology University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center Dallas USA

Department of Urology Weill Cornell Medical College New York USA

Division of Urology Department of Special Surgery The University of Jordan Amman Jordan

IT Service and Strategic Information Management Medical University Vienna Vienna Austria

Karl Landsteiner Institute of Urology and Andrology Vienna Austria

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