Multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and MRI-guided prostate biopsy are emerging as useful applications in the detection of prostate cancer. Transrectal ultrasound (TRUS) biopsy, the current traditional method of diagnosis prostate cancer, can result in sampling errors that lead to delayed diagnosis or misclassification of cancers.
As you are aware, Rolling Oaks Radiology is one of the most active and experienced prostate MRI centers in the country. This letter is to inform you about recent PIRADS assessment changes for the interpretation of prostate MRI exams.
PIRADS, initially developed in Europe, has been the international accepted interpretation standard for the past two years. These recent changes were announced by our joint steering committee at the annual meeting of the RSNA in November.
For several decades, women have led an increasingly concerted effort to raise awareness around breast cancer and to demand better treatment options. It is time for men to do the same.
While most prostate cancers grow slowly and may require only minimal treatment, others are aggressive and early detection of these cancers is essential to achieving optimal outcomes. Accurately diagnosing prostate cancer early can be an immense challenge. Digital rectal exam (DRE), prostate-specific antigen (PSA) tests and transrectal ultrasound-guided (TRUS) biopsy — tools traditionally used to diagnose prostate cancer — have limitations that the medical community has long sought to overcome.
Much attention paid to multiparametric prostate MRI has focused on its ability to improve prostate cancer detection and diagnosis. However, prostate MRI has the potential to improve other aspects of prostate cancer care. Beyond guiding biopsy needles, prostate MRI can also aid prostate cancer staging, inform treatment planning and to monitor patients following treatment.
There has been a lively debate in the medical community on the role of the PSA test in the diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer. This debate must not lead more men to ignore the warning signs of prostate cancer – more men were diagnosed with prostate cancer than Americans were diagnosed with breast cancer last year.
A growing body of evidence proves MRI can effectively identify suspicious lesions prior to biopsy. MRI generally does not detect indolent tumors that do not require treatment and can guide biopsy needles for more precise targeting. This reduces the necessity for repeat biopsies while increasing detection rates for high-risk, high-grade prostate cancers. However, the practice of using MRI to detect prostate cancer before performing biopsy is not widespread.
Prostate cancer takes an incredible toll on American men, yet awareness of basic prostate cancer facts is lacking.
Ongoing research has consistently shown that multiparametric prostate MRI can aid prostate cancer screening and improve detection rates. New results to a large-scale study investigating the effectiveness of MRI-TRUS fusion biopsy versus traditional TRUS biopsy demonstrate the superiority of multiparametric prostate MRI in prostate cancer detection.
The American Cancer Society estimates that more than 220,000 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2015. Around 1 in 7 men will be diagnosed during their lifetimes. This September, the RadNet Prostate MRI program encourages men to learn more about prostate cancer and their prostate cancer imaging options.
