According to Miami urologist Dr. George Suarez, clinical trials have shown that biopsy guided by MRI can significantly improve the diagnosis of life-threatening prostate cancer and reduce the over-diagnosis of non-life-threatening cases, thereby avoiding the side effects of unnecessary treatment.
Prior to this finding, men have been subjected to a painful procedure called trans-rectal ultrasound guided biopsy (TRUSGB) that involves taking up to 30 random needle biopsies of their prostate through the rectum.
With the new MRI-guided system, your Miami urologist will perform an MRI scan to get a better idea of where a tumor is located in the prostate. Then, if needed, he will just take two needle samples of that area, sparing the need for multiple biopsies.
The new system uses a method called multi-parametric MRI.
Your Miami urologist explains that this marks a significant improvement in terms of accuracy and in reducing discomfort for patients. It also spares many men the pain and burden of multiple prostate biopsies. This latest MRI imaging technique will reduce over-treatment of men with non-life-threatening prostate cancer.
According to the study, the use of this MRI for prostate cancer:
- Reduced the number of men needing prostate biopsies by half;
- Showed an over 90% sensitivity in diagnosing life-threatening disease compared with the current leading method TRUSGB, which has only a 70% sensitivity in diagnosing life-threatening prostate cancer)
- Reduced the problem of over-diagnosis of non-life-threatening prostate cancer by approximately 90%.
The trial enrolled over 220 patients all of whom had raised PSA levels. All of the patients underwent both the standard TRUSGB, and the new method where an MRI scan is performed first, and then only those patients whose MRI image points to high-risk prostate cancer undergo MRI-guided biopsy.
In TRUSGB, which utilizes ultrasound to guide biopsy sampling, the core samples are random and taken from all areas of the prostate, but, when biopsies are done following a prostate MRI, your Miami urologist will know where the tumor is located and indicates where to direct the biopsy needle.
According to the American Cancer Society, prostate cancer occurs mainly in older men; around 6 in 10 cases are diagnosed in men aged 65 and over. About 1 man in 7 will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during his lifetime.
Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in American men, behind only lung cancer. However, although it is a serious disease, most men diagnosed with prostate cancer do not die from it. There are currently 2.5 million men in the US living with prostate cancer.
Don’t wait – call the office of best Miami urologist Dr. George Suarez today to schedule a consultation. Prevention is the best medicine.
