Category: Imaging & mpMRI

I’ve said it before, and I’ll undoubtedly say it again: multiparametric MRI (mpMRI) can avoid unnecessary biopsies. In a previous blog, “A PROMIS is a Promise for Multiparametric MRI,” I cited the results of the PROMIS study in which 576 men initially had an mpMRI scan, then underwent 2 types of needle biopsy (ouch!) so keep reading

If you are diagnosed with prostate cancer (PCa), you want to know, with as much accuracy as possible: PSA and its variants – determined by blood test Gleason score/Gleason Grade Group – determined by biopsy Clinical stage – determined the old-fashioned way by combination of digital rectal exam or DRE, biopsy, inadequate information from ultrasound, keep reading

PLEASE NOTE: Recruitment for the trial mentioned in this article has closed and the trial has concluded.   The energies that make up Magnetic Resonance Imaging are basically a magnetic field and radio waves. In their natural form, neither can be seen by the human eye. Likewise, sonic energy or sound waves are also invisible keep reading

Multiparametric MRI (mpMRI) has sparked a revolution in prostate cancer (PCa) detection, diagnosis and image-guided treatments. Transrectal ultrasound (TRUS) does not even begin to compare with the anatomic definition and tissue characterization provided by high-resolution, 3D mpMRI scans. This breakthrough technology has been a godsend for patients in such areas as Avoiding unnecessary needle biopsies keep reading

A few years back, I posted a blog on the “magic” of conventional TRUS-guided prostate biopsy. Presto! It turns the walnut sized gland into a “human pincushion!” That’s because it requires at least 12 needles to submit tissue samples for analysis. In fact, a so-called TRUS saturation biopsy may use as many as 24 needles keep reading

What do breast cancer (BCa) and prostate cancer (PCa) have in common? As it turns out, they share several characteristics: They are both the second leading cause of cancer death in the U.S. They are both related to sexuality and reproduction They are both subject to hormone-driven cancers that respond to drugs that affect hormone keep reading

In the not-so-distant past, a PSA blood test that showed an elevated or rising PSA most often led to a transrectal ultrasound (TRUS) guided needle biopsy of the prostate. Most TRUS biopsies involve 12 or more needles for the simple reason that ultrasound cannot clearly identify what’s a tumor and what isn’t. And unfortunately, this keep reading

By accident, I discovered a web presentation on the basic principles of MRI that was not only easy and clear, but also entertaining and charming. Sound impossible? It’s not as far-fetched as it seems, thanks to the work of Prasanna Tilakaratna, a very intelligent man with a gentle sense of humor. keep reading

Let’s say you never had a problem with ants in your kitchen. Then, one day you spy a single ant zigzagging its way around the floor. You don’t jump to the conclusion that your home is infested, and you can live with a random ant or two. But what if that first ant is a keep reading

On a daily basis—probably far more than we are aware—we choose one thing or another based on how we perceive the information we have. This car is better than that car, this tomato is perfect but that tomato looks damaged, clean-shaven looks good on me but a beard looks bad. As an ancient metaphor puts keep reading