Scans for diagnosis and staging - MRI-Magnetic Resonance Imaging

MRI: Effective Tool for Staging Prostate Cancer

Thursday, April 23 2009 19:09

In patients with prostate cancer undergoing prostatectomy, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) can play an important role in determining if the cancer is restricted to the prostate gland or if it has spread beyond the capsule.

This is the finding of a study performed at the University of California, Los Angeles, CA. The study included a review of 119 patients who were referred for prostate MRI prior to prostatectomy.

"Results showed that MRI correctly identified 87 out of 92 (95%) of patients with T2 and 6 out of 8 (75%) of patients with T3 disease (T2 means the disease is organ confined and T3 means the disease has locally spread beyond the prostate)," said Timothy McClure, MD, lead author of the study. Steven Raman, MD, worked with Dr. McClure on this study.

"Current techniques for prostate cancer diagnosis are inaccurate in differentiating men who need treatment from those who do not. In fact, recent studies have even questioned the role of PSA (prostate-specific antigen) screening in the general population, given the side effects of treatment. As such, there has been much interest in focal therapy in prostate cancer treatment; but this will require a more accurate diagnosis, especially the ability to detect high grade cancers. A new paradigm for prostate cancer diagnosis needs to be developed and our study suggests that MR imaging of the prostate may play a role," said Dr. McClure.

This study will be presented at the 2009 ARRS Annual Meeting in Boston, MA, on Tuesday, April 28.

Based on information provided by American Roentgen Ray Society (ARRS). Its monthly journal, the American Journal of Roentgenology, began publication in 1906. Radiologists from all over the world attend the ARRS annual meeting to participate in instructional courses, scientific paper presentations and scientific and commercial exhibits related to the field of radiology. The Society is named after the first Nobel Laureate in Physics, Wilhelm Röentgen, who discovered the x-ray in 1895.

Scans for diagnosis and staging - MRI-Magnetic Resonance Imaging