Robert E. Reiter, MD, MBA

Robert E. Reiter, MD, MBA

Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA

Los Angeles, California

Robert E. Reiter, MD, MBA, is the Bing Professor of Urology and Molecular Biology and Director of the Prostate Cancer Treatment and Research Program at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles. He is currently the Principal Investigator of UCLA’s SPORE (Specialized Program in Research Excellence) program, a $12 million research grant from the National Cancer Institute to develop new diagnostic and treatment options for men with prostate cancer. Dr. Reiter’s clinical interests include robotic surgical management of prostate cancer and the use of both MRI and molecular imaging tools to manage this disease. His research is focused on the development of novel antibodies for both treatment and imaging of prostate cancer, as well as on the role of epithelial to mesenchymal transition in castration and treatment resistance. Dr. Reiter completed his undergraduate studies at Yale University and earned his medical degree at Stanford University Medical School.

Talks by Robert E. Reiter, MD, MBA

Future Directions (FD) in Molecular Targeted Imaging (MTI) and Theranostics Discussion

Future Directions (FD) in Molecular Targeted Imaging (MTI) and Theranostics Discussion

Posted by | Jan 2025

Robert E. Reiter, MD, MBA, highlights advances in molecular targeting and imaging in prostate cancer, with a focus on PSMA PET imaging. PSMA PET is expanding its role, particularly in identifying primary or secondary tumors when MRI results are negative or ambiguous. This application, under investigation in the Primary Two study, could reduce unnecessary biopsies and improve tumor detection.

In this 7-minute presentation, Dr. Reiter reviews PSMA-guided surgical resection using fluorescence or radioguidance to enhance precision. He asserts that this approach could reduce positive margins, optimize node removal, and support nerve-sparing techniques when appropriate, improving functional outcomes.

Reiter also discusses PSMA PET in oligometastatic disease, specifically the optimal treatment approach when few metastases are present. In addition, PSMA imaging is being explored in focal and radiation therapies, where it could provide a more accurate assessment of recurrence and treatment response; in advanced prostate cancer, PET could help identify resistant lesions for targeted radiotherapy.

Read More
PSMA Imaging as a Biomarker for Early Stage Prostate Cancer

PSMA Imaging as a Biomarker for Early Stage Prostate Cancer

Posted by | Aug 2024

Robert E. Reiter, MD, discusses PSMA imaging’s potential as a biomarker for early-stage prostate cancer. In this 11-minute presentation, Dr. Reiter compares PSMA PET and MRI. PSMA PET imaging, more sensitive than MRI, can detect cancer presence, tumor size, and potential spread beyond MRI’s capability, offering a possible advantage in early and focal disease management.

PSMA’s prognostic value is explored. Data indicate a correlation between high PSMA uptake (SUV) and higher Gleason scores. Low PSMA expression is linked with more aggressive cancer markers.

Additionally, Dr. Reiter asserts that PSMA’s potential as a guide in surgical procedures, such as radio-guided lymph node removal, could enhance surgical precision and reduce the chance of residual disease.

Read More
Clinical Impact of PSMA PET Prior to Prostatectomy

Clinical Impact of PSMA PET Prior to Prostatectomy

Posted by | May 2024

Robert E. Reiter, MD, MBA, illustrates the diagnostic and predictive value of PSMA PET imaging and the role of PSMA as a biomarker. He begins by examining the sensitivity of PSMA PET against that of MRI and the benefits of using combined PSMA PET/MRI for intermediate-risk tumors.

Dr. Reiter then turns to the functionality of PSMA PET/CT as a predictor of clinical outcome. He presents data comparing pre- and post-prostatectomy PSMA and CAPRA-(S) scores in association with biochemical recurrence, noting that PSMA outperformed CAPRA-(S) scores in some situations.

Dr. Reiter concludes by examining the utility of PSMA as a biomarker for tumor biology and how that can inform treatment. He presents data comparing tumors with high PSMA expression against those with low PSMA expression. He notes that PSMA-high tumors are responsive to primary treatment, while low-PSMA tumors are likely to require secondary treatment.

Read More

MRI: Can It Be Used to Plan Ablative Therapies?

Posted by | Dec 2021

Robert E. Reiter, MD, the Bing Professor of Urology and Molecular Biology and Director of the Prostate Cancer Treatment and Research Program at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles, discusses and evaluates MRI in terms of its ability to select patients for and help plan ablative therapies. He begins with an evaluation of MRI’s capabilities in patient selection. Dr. Reiter cites a study on multiparametric (mp)MRI detection of prostate cancer (PCa) foci that found mpMRI was capable of missing 20-30% of significant tumors. He also discusses a study of systematic and targeted biopsies concordance, finding that there was non-concordance in 36.1% of cases. Dr. Reiter cites a third study that found that 48% of MRI-selected candidates for hemiablation were actually ineligible for prostatectomy. He continues with a discussion of using MRI for targeting PCa adequately for complete ablation. Dr. Reiter reviews a study on mpMRI and predicting pathological tumor size, finding that MRI was less useful for smaller lesions but was quite effective for larger and higher-grade tumors. He suggests that MRI is not particularly useful for predicting tumor distance from the urethra based on one study that suggests that finding tumors near the urethra is important due to about 66% of PCa tumors being within 5 mm of the urethra, and another study finding that MRI fails to detect many tumors near the urethra based on an AUC curve. Dr. Reiter concludes that MRI can aid patient selection and planning but has multiple shortcomings that need to be accounted for.

Read More

Management of Oligometastatic Disease

Posted by | Jul 2021

Robert E. Reiter, MD, the Bing Professor of Urology and Molecular Biology and Director of the Prostate Cancer Treatment and Research Program at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles, discusses oligometastatic prostate cancer, explaining how to treat it and the long-term benefits of doing so. He describes oligometastatic prostate cancer (PCa) as an intermediate disease state characterized by limited disease (1-5 lesions). Dr. Reiter then shows evidence of the oligometastatic disease state through data suggesting that if you can identify patients with oligometastases and have a treatment plan for them then you can have a great impact on their OS. He discusses the impact of imaging on defining oligometastases through a study on the distribution of lesions in men with BCR, finding that as PSA increases so does the range of areas that PSMA detects lesions within; a UCLA study comparing PSMA and conventional imaging (CI), finding that 21% of cases showed non-concordance between the two methods for node-positive PCa; and a pathologic assessment of PSMA PET in the detection of nodal disease, showing that PSMA PET still misses small positive lymph nodes in about 20% of patients. Dr. Reiter continues with a review of clinical trials in Oligometastatic disease. He shows data from the SABR-COMET trial suggesting that treating oligometastatic disease in many different cancer types did improve overall survival and progression-free survival in the long term, and the STOMP trial, finding that administration of SABR to patients with oligometastatic disease defined by choline has a beneficial effect on PCa outcomes. Dr. Reiter concludes with the ORIOLE study which suggests that patients in whom all lesions can be found and treated will have significantly better outcomes than others, and a study on curative-intent metastasis-directed therapies for molecularly-defined oligorecurrent PCa using PSMA finding that median time to progression could be extended to 17 months.

Read More

Join the GRU Community

- Why Join? -