MRIs Improve Prostate Cancer Diagnosis: Study

1. Men whose doctors suspect they have prostate cancer are traditionally sent in for a transrectal ultrasound-guided prostate biopsy to confirm or rule out the condition. New research, however, is shedding light on the benefits of holding off on this test until another one can be performed. A recent look at the effectiveness of multi-parametric magnetic resonance imaging found that this procedure can help an estimated 27 percent of men avoid the need for overly invasive and potentially risky biopsies all together. To arrive at their findings supporting the use of an MRI before biopsy, researchers created a study group of more than 700 men who all had elevated prostate specific antigen test levels. None of the men had undergone biopsies in the past. All men in the study group were given an MRI followed by both the TRUS-biopsy and TPM-biopsy. More than 570 of the men in the study group were able to undergo all three tests. The study found that the MRI was able to identify more than 90 percent of the cases where men had clinically significant prostate cancer. In comparison, the TPM-biopsy detected about 40 percent. The TRUS-biopsy was deemed to be significantly less sensitive than the MP-MRI.

2. The findings, researchers say, point to the value a MRI may hold as a triage test when prostate cancer is suspected. Instead of rushing headlong into a biopsy, patients can be prescreened with the MRI. In cases where problems are detected, a follow-up biopsy would be indicated. The findings showed that the MRI could help nearly 30 percent of men avoid biopsies all together while having the ability to detect about 18 percent more cases of clinically significant prostate cancer than traditional TRUS biopsies. Men whose doctors suspect prostate cancer should talk openly about all diagnostic options available to them. A simple MRI may help some men avoid the need for more invasive biopsies, researchers are finding.