Experts say, turn to an expert when best results matter.

If you have high standards when it comes to caring for valued objects and personal wellness, you won’t be content with do-it-yourself problem solving. Whether it’s about a possession as humble as a prized but malfunctioning power tool, or as lofty as a sub performing Ferrari, you’re not going to settle for a “duct tape” patch approach. When it’s about a personal matter as seemingly minor as a chronic cough or as alarming as a mole that is turning black and growing, you’re not going to rely on the opinion of the guy on the treadmill next to you at the gym. Accurate identification and top fix-it skill are at issue. Long term results are at stake. If these are a priority, you turn to someone whose years of knowledge and demonstrated results merit your trust and respect.

Influences on accuracy in detection and diagnosis

In today’s prostate cancer (PCa) landscape, multiparametric MRI (mpMRI) has emerged as the top imaging technology for the early detection and diagnosis of clinically significant PCa. Unfortunately, not all MRI results are created equal. There is a wide range of reliability, with experts showing superior outcomes. According to Oxford Languages, the resource that powers Google’s English dictionary, an expert is “a person who has a comprehensive and authoritative knowledge of or skill in a particular area.”

A group of international authorities made it their business to explore research on the factors that influence why MRI variability in PCa detection and diagnosis exists. After delving into 77 published articles, the authors identified numerous factors that affect quality of MRI detection and MRI-guided biopsy. Most notably, these include:

• Reader experience
• Image acquisition on magnets with powerful field and gradient strength (3 Tesla or 3T)
• Different versions of assessment systems, including PI-RADS
• Biopsy experience
• The use of computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) and deep-learning tools

Not surprisingly, these and other factors are interrelated. However, one in particular stood out for the authors: the experience of the radiologist was the “dominating factor.”^[i]

All of us at the Sperling Prostate Center are proud to be on a team of excellence under the directorship of Dr. Dan Sperling. As a leading pioneer and global authority in mpMRI for the detection and diagnosis of PCa, Dr. Sperling has spearheaded not only the use of 3T mpMRI for PCa, but also the integration of Artificial Intelligence/Deep Learning for CAD. In fact, he is a contributor to published development of its applications in PCa. He is a consistent educator on the superiority of real time, in-bore MRI targeted biopsy over fusion-guided biopsy and conventional TRUS-guided biopsy. The time Dr. Sperling takes to explain his findings and recommendations to each patient has earned their respect and trust.

In keeping with the saying that no one perfect, it’s true that no doctor is perfect. However, some doctors are excellent because they have gained the leadership and experience to make them the best they can be. In our case, the Sperling Prostate Center offers the best that MRI can be, because experience makes all the difference.

NOTE: This content is solely for purposes of information and does not substitute for diagnostic or medical advice. Talk to your doctor if you are experiencing pelvic pain, or have any other health concerns or questions of a personal medical nature.

[i] Stabile A, Giganti F, Kasivisvanathan V, Giannarini G et al. Factors Influencing Variability in the Performance of Multiparametric Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Detecting Clinically Significant Prostate Cancer: A Systematic Literature Review. Eur Urol Oncol. 2020 Apr;3(2):145-167.