MRI frequently underestimates tumor size in prostate cancer

A study by researchers at UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center found that magnetic resonance imaging, or MRI, frequently underestimates the size of prostate tumors, which can lead to undertreatment.

The study authors found that such an underestimation most often occurs when the tumor size measured by MRI is small and the PI-RADS score, which is used to classify lesions in the analysis. MRI of the prostate is weak.

For prostate tumor treatments to be successful, the MRI size measurement and PI-RADS score must be accurate because they allow doctors to accurately determine where tumors end and where normal, healthy tissue begins. that surrounds them.

MRI is frequently used to diagnose and manage prostate cancer. It is also increasingly used as a way to map and guide the delivery of new, highly targeted therapies that use freezing (cryotherapy), ultrasound (HIFU) and heat (laser ablation) to destroy cancerous tissue. of the prostate while sparing healthy tissue.

The researchers compared the tumor size measured by MRI to the actual tumor size after prostate removal in 441 men treated for prostate cancer.

Improving the ability to better predict ablation margins will lead to more effective treatments for men with prostate cancer and may help reduce morbidity from treatment for prostate cancer.

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The lead author is Dr. Robert Reiter, professor of urology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and director of the Prostate Cancer Program at UCLA. The lead author is Dr. Aydin Pooli, Clinical Urology Instructor at UCLA. The other authors are David Johnson, Dr Joseph Shirk, Daniela Markovic, Dr Taylor Sadun, Dr Anthony Sisk, Amirhossein Bajgiran, Dr Sohrab Mirak, Dr Ely Felker, Alexa Hughes and Dr Steven Raman, all from the UCLA.

The study was published online in the Urology Journal.

The work was supported by the Integrated Diagnostics Program, a joint initiative between UCLA’s Department of Radiological Sciences and UCLA’s Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine.

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