When it comes to prostate cancer, many agree that the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test does not necessarily reign supreme (1). But if that’s the case, what should a responsible doctor do instead to rule out the possibility of dangerous disease? One option is a transrectal ultrasound-guided (TRUS) biopsy – but this procedure is invasive and can lead to infection, or several weeks of rectal or urethral bleeding. Although the biopsy can aid in diagnosing disease, its undesirable effects and the burden it places on hospitals means it is only often used when absolutely necessary. What’s the alternative? There’s one potential answer: multiparametric-magnetic resonance imaging (MP-MRI), according to a team of UK-based researchers who found that the technology could be an effective triage test to help reduce unnecessary TRUS biopsies (2). To learn more about their research, we talked with first author and consultant urologist Hashim U. Ahmed.
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References
- R McGuigan, “The Great Prostate Debate”, The Pathologist, 4, (2015). Available at: http://bit.ly/1ALR2Fg. HU Ahmed et al., “Diagnostic accuracy of multi-parametric MRI and TRUS biopsy in prostate cancer (PROMIS): a paired validating confirmatory study”, Lancet, [Epub ahead of print] (2017). PMID: 28110982. A El-Shater-Bosaily et al., “PROMIS—Prostate MR imaging study: a paired validating cohort study evaluating the role of multi-parametric MRI in men with clinical suspicion of prostate cancer”, Contemp Clin Trials, 42, 26–40 (2015). PMID: 25749312. AR Rastinehad et al., “Comparison of multiparametric MRI scoring systems and the impact on cancer detection in patients undergoing MR US fusion guided prostate biopsies”, 10, e0143404 (2015). PMID: 26605548.
