A clinical trial led by researchers from University College London (UCL) and University College London Hospitals NHS Trust Foundation (UCLH) has revealed that removing a step from a three-part MRI scan could make prostate cancer diagnosis quicker, cheaper and more accessible.
The PRIME study was funded by Prostate Cancer UK and the John Black Charitable Foundation.
Currently the most common form of cancer in men, prostate cancer is responsible for around 52,000 new cases and 12,000 deaths every year in the UK.
In the UK, a three-part multiparametric MRI of the prostate is the current standard of care for patients suspected of having prostate cancer, which includes a dye injection as its third step to identify abnormalities to be seen on the MRI scan.
In the study, cancer experts from 22 hospitals from 12 different countries recruited 555 patients and performed full-three-part multiparametric scans on them.
Radiologists then assessed the two-part biparametric scan results in comparison to the results from the three-part multiparametric scan and performed a targeted prostate biopsy on all patients to confirm whether or not the diagnosis was correct.
The results demonstrated that the two-stage scan was just as accurate at diagnosing prostate cancer, with the diagnosis of important prostate cancer in 29% of patients with the two-part biparametric scan – the same result detected via the longer three-part multiparametric scan.
As well as being quicker, the two-stage MRI would be 47% cheaper at a £145 cost per scan in the NHS, versus the current standard cost of £273 per scan.
Lead radiologist on the trial, Dr Clare Allen from UCLH, commented: “The results… indicate that in most patients, we are unlikely to miss significant prostate cancer if we stop doing the contrast scan.”
Dr Francesco Giganti, lead radiologist on the trial from UCL Surgery and Interventional Science and UCLH said: “These results suggest that… we can adopt a shorter, two-part biparametric MRI as the new standard of care for prostate cancer diagnosis.”
