Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer in men over the age of 75 with over 230,000 cases detected every year. However, it is a slow growing tumor and only certain types endanger a man’s life. Moreover, in men with a localized form of cancer, the side effects of treatment may overweigh its benefits and treating the cancer may do more harm than good. Therefore, it is important for the doctors to differentiate between the serious cancers from the insignificant.
Using two-dimensional, conventional ultrasound, it is difficult for the doctors to target the suspicious areas for biopsy and so they have to take about 12 samples from the entire prostate gland. But now, a UCLA team comprising of members from urology, radiology, pathology and biomedical engineering departments, in collaboration with the medical device company Eigen Inc., has devised a new method of targeted biopsy of the prostate. The new technology has fused MRI with real-time 3D ultrasound and its results have been published in the online May/June issue of the journal “Urologic Oncology.”
The study, conducted between the years 2009 and 2010, took into account 218 men between the ages of 35 and 87 who had to undergo prostate biopsy. Of these, 47 men received targeted prostate biopsy while the rest underwent the normal biopsy. The 47 men first underwent MRI scanning to assess suspicious contrasts in tissue, abnormal cellular density and unusual blood flow within the prostate. Each of the three components was graded and given a score on the basis of its potential risk. Using these scores, a 3-D image of the prostate gland was developed, which clearly highlighted any suspicious areas. This information was used during a real-time ultrasound prostate biopsy. The amalgamation of stored MRI scans with real-time ultrasound provided a 3-D image which helped to guide the tiny biopsy needle into targeted areas.
The UCLA team found that the use of targeted prostate biopsy was 5 times more successful in finding cancer than the use of traditional 2-D ultrasound. After the biopsy, the exact nature of the cancerous tissue can be understood and similar tissue in other parts of the prostate can be pin-pointed.
According to UCLA, targeted prostate biopsy is especially useful in patients who have:
- Persistently elevated PSA levels which cannot be explained
- Negative biopsy result
- Increased prostate cancer gene expression
- Patients with a low grade cancer who are under active surveillance
References:
· http://casit.ucla.edu/body.cfm?id=222
· http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-05/uoc--ntf051111.php
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