multiparametric MRI Archives - Page 19 of 21

Less Expensive MRI Rules Out Unnecessary Prostate Biopsy

Two problems face men who have a high PSA or abnormal digital rectal exam (DRE). First, they are often referred for a conventional TRUS needle biopsy of the prostate because there is suspicion of prostate cancer (PCa). Second, multiparametric MRI is considered too time-consuming and expensive for routine determination of the need for a biopsy. keep reading

How to Detect Cancer in Large Prostate Glands

There are so many benefits to detecting prostate cancer (PCa) using multiparametric MRI that it’s hard to single out just one. However, the merits of mpMRI to find PCa in large glands deserve a spotlight. First, a word about prostate size. An average adult gland in younger men is about 30 – 40cc, roughly the keep reading

Is the Sky Falling? Worrisome Trends in Prostate Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment Patterns

Did you ever hear the folktale about Chicken Little, who was hit on the head by a falling acorn? He wanted to warn the king – and everyone else – that “the sky is falling!” The story and its many age-old variants satirizes people who are unduly alarmed and spread exaggerated rumors. However, three recent keep reading

Experts Reach Consensus on mpMRI Before Repeat Biopsy

Men suspected of having prostate cancer based on rising PSA or abnormal DRE are typically sent for a transrectal ultrasound (TRUS) guided biopsy using 12 or more needles. At least 30% of TRUS biopsies miss the disease that is present, not to mention the possible side effects of the biopsy itself. What happens next? The keep reading

MRI Outperforms PHI for Patients Considering Active Surveillance

When it comes to Active Surveillance (AS) decisions, there’s good news and bad news. The good news: based on biopsy results, more doctors are recommending AS for prostate cancer (PCa) patients with insignificant disease. The bad news: the biopsy might have missed significant PCa so the patient can’t know for sure if AS is a keep reading

Multiparametric MRI Can Save Millions of Healthcare Dollars

It’s time to silence the economic naysayers who claim that multiparametric MRI (mpMRI) is too expensive for detecting and diagnosing prostate cancer. Results from a new study out of Brigham and Women’s Hospital[i] (Boston, MA) in partnership with AdMeTech reflect how the Sperling Prostate Center has been ahead of its time. The study demonstrates how keep reading

Uncertainty and Anxiety during Active Surveillance

The word is out: Patients with early stage, low risk prostate cancer have often been rushed into radical prostatectomy when many of them could have afforded to wait to seek treatment—possibly for years. Untold numbers of men were left with urinary and sexual problems that lasted for months, or were never fully resolved. For low keep reading

Hormone Therapy Affects Mental Function

Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) is a treatment for prostate cancer that has spread outside the gland. It is also called hormone therapy or chemical castration. The purpose of ADT is to reduce the production of male hormones, especially testosterone, which has the effect of temporarily halting the ability of prostate cancer cells to multiply and keep reading

A Critique of Transperineal Biopsy Study On MRI/Ultrasound Fusion Guidance

I read a study on the accuracy of prostate MRI for predicting that no prostate cancer (PCa) is present. This is called the negative predictive value (NPV), and the authors make a great point in their introduction: The reliability of a negative MRI is a key clinical metric – if the MRI is reported as keep reading

Does Money Buy Life?

Everyone knows that money doesn’t buy happiness. But can it buy life? A new study out of the University of Washington Medical Center suggests that prostate cancer patients in extreme financial distress are more likely to die than those who are not. This doesn’t mean that having money can buy life, but hardship is a keep reading

Tag: multiparametric MRI