Multi-Parametric MRI and PET Imaging Improve Accuracy of Prostate Cancer Biopsies

Researchers have demonstrated that a combination of PET and multi-parametric MR imaging can improve targeted prostate cancer biopsies.

The study was published in the July 2016 issue of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine and found that adding F-18-choline Positron Emission Tomography (PET) molecular imaging to multi-parametric Magnetic Resonance Imaging (mpMRI) improves the chance of recognizing significant prostate cancer during targeted trans-rectal prostate biopsies.


The study, part of an ongoing prospective clinical trial was carried out by researchers at the University of Michigan (UMS; Ann Arbor, MI, USA) and included 36 subjects of which 15 were eventually identified with significant prostate cancer. The researchers concluded that image registration using fusion PET imaging together with MRI real-time Trans-Rectal Ultrasound (TRUS) during targeted prostate biopsies was accurate and clinically feasible. The addition of F-18-choline PET, to the mpMRI procedure resulted in improved identification of significant prostate cancer.

Morand Piert, MD, radiology professor, Division of Nuclear Medicine, University of Michigan, said, "Our positive results suggest that in the future, PET/MRI may become a one-stop imaging test for men with suspected but undetected prostate cancer or for patients undergoing surveillance for known low-risk prostate cancer. Since prostate cancer is often multi-focal and presents with multiple lesions of varying risk, it is important to identify the lesions that harbor the greatest malignant potential. Accurate identification of clinically significant cancer and avoidance of clinically insignificant cancer is the centerpiece of modern prostate cancer diagnosis. The use of advanced imaging to inform placement of biopsy needles promises to greatly minimize the uncertainty associated with prostate cancer care."

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