“ONE PLUS ONE EQUALS THREE” IN PROSTATE IMAGING
by William F. Muhr, Jr., M.D., D.A.B.R. CEO, South Jersey Radiology
Prostate cancer is a challenging disease to diagnose accurately and offer the best treatment due to the variable behavior of the tumor. Using a combination of imaging modalities, clinicians can detect up to 33 percent more prostate tumors, according to a recent study from UCLA.*
The study was the first to directly compare MR-guided and ultrasound only-guided prostate biopsies in the same group of men. Researchers concluded that the two methods identify different tumors; so, when the different biopsy-sampling methods are used together, the cancer detection rate is improved.
Ultrasound-guided biopsies allow clinicians to clearly visualize the prostate gland and sample tissue but don’t clearly display the location of tumors. MR imaging enables clinicians to locate specific lesions and sample tissue in those targeted spots, but not all tumors appear as lesions on MR scans.
In the UCLA study of 300 men being evaluated for potential prostate cancer over a three-year period, MR imaging revealed a prostate lesion in 248 men. Using both MR and ultrasound imaging, as well as available biopsy information, researchers detected cancer in 70 percent of the men. In the other 52 men, MR did not detect lesions, but ultrasound-guided biopsies subsequently revealed cancer in 15 percent of those men as well.
“Our cancer detection rate, while using different methods in tandem, surpasses that from using either method alone,” said Dr. Leonard Marks, senior author of the UCLA study. “In this case, one plus one equals three.”
The UCLA study concludes that patients being assessed for prostate cancer first receive a prostate MRI. “If the MRI shows a lesion, both systematic and targeted biopsies provide the best chance at finding cancer,” Dr. Marks said. Even if the MRI is negative, men with elevated PSAs, a prostate nodule, or a family history should still receive a traditional, systematic biopsy.
SJRA uses the world’s most advanced 3T MRI – the Skyra – to perform prostate MRIs. In South Jersey, the Skyra is available only at SJRA. The Skyra images the prostate with the highest clarity possible and provides views of the gland in thin sections and from multiple directions.
Turn to South Jersey Radiology. As the region’s only Diagnostic Imaging Center of ExcellenceTM, we are revolutionizing prostate cancer screening by putting cutting-edge technology into the hands of the best imaging specialists.
*Information on the UCLA study was obtained from an article in DOTmed News.
ABOUT WILLIAM F. MUHR, JR., M.D., D.A.B.R.
Dr. William F. Muhr is President and CEO of South Jersey Radiology Associates (SJRA) in the greater South New Jersey & Philadelphia area. SJRA offers a full spectrum of state-of-the-art imaging technologies. Dr. Muhr, an expert in Diagnostic Radiology/MRI Body, received his undergraduate degree from Lehigh University and his M.D. from Hahnemann University, completing both his internship and residency at Hahnemann University Hospital.