MRI Screening Will Spare Men with Suspected Prostate Cancer from Unnecessary Biopsy
Researchers have concluded that the use of magnetic resonance imaging at the initial stage of prostate cancer diagnosis will help reduce the number of invasive biopsy procedures in many cases. The results of their new study were published yesterday in the journalTheNew England Journal of Medicine.
Researchers from University College London found that MRI screening can reliably detect prostate tumors, and therefore may become an effective alternative to the painful targeted biopsy under transrectal ultrasound guidance, which all men with elevated PSA (prostate-specific antigen) levels currently undergo.
Prostate biopsy is an invasive procedure in which a sample of suspicious tissue is taken using a special needle. Subsequent histological analysis of the biological material allows for the detection of cancer cells. British researchers are convinced that most men at high risk for prostate cancer can avoid this unpleasant procedure if they first undergo an MRI scan.
They reached these conclusions based on their own experiment, during which they studied five hundred men with suspected prostate tumors who had not previously undergone targeted biopsy. The study participants were randomly divided into two groups. One group was sent for MRI scanning, while the other underwent standard biopsy conducted under transrectal ultrasound guidance. Subsequently, men in the first group, who had suspicious findings in the prostate on MRI, underwent targeted biopsy of the pathological area.
Clear Advantages of MRI
In 71 out of 252 men who underwent MRI scanning, oncology was not confirmed, allowing them to avoid the unpleasant procedure of transrectal prostate biopsy. Among those who still had to undergo targeted biopsy based on MRI screening results, malignant tumors were found in 38%. In contrast, among men with characteristic signs of prostate cancer in the second group, who only underwent transrectal biopsy, this figure was only 26%.
Researchers believe that the use of magnetic resonance imaging will fundamentally change the approach to examination when prostate cancer is suspected, reducing the likelihood of overdiagnosis by half and the number of unnecessary biopsy procedures by more than 35%.