Radiologists see improved diagnostic options for prostate cancer

New ultrasound techniques and multiparameter MRI scans during biopsies allow for the detection and exact distinction of prostate tumours leading to the prospect of improved diagnoses, a British expert said in Vienna on Wednesday.

Speaking at a press conference as part of the European Congress of Radiology beginning at the Austria Center Vienna on Wednesday, Anwar R. Padhani said radiologists must now learn to make the most of the opportunities the new technological advancements are providing.

"The diagnostic methods that are currently available to us bring unsatisfactory performance when it comes to distinguishing between non-aggressive diseases and malignant cancer," he said.

The expert from the Mount Vernon Cancer Centre in London said men with prostate cancer are both over and under-diagnosed, with both too much and too little treatment, resulting in "a complete mess."

For this reason the advancements in the field are needed, and the medical imaging is progressing to that point, he said. While prostate cancer is the last form of cancer in which imaging methods do not play a clear role in diagnosis, the new multiparameter MRI scans and targeted MRI biopsies of lesions bode well for this to be rectified.

Another topic expected to be widely discussed at the congress at which over 20,000 visitors are expected is the importance of screening in health care and for the prediction of diseases.

"The screening of larger groups or the population plays a large role for radiologists, as the larger numbers of patients make the acceptability of scientific results increase strongly," said German expert Norbert Hosten. Endit