Simple changes improve quality of MRI scans for prostate cancer screening

Prostate cancer trial could led to national screening programme - Credit: Liz West,  Flickr A new international study from UCL and UCLH that aims to improve the quality of MRI scans for prostate cancer screening has identified simple ways to treble the number of scans that are of optimal diagnostic quality. Published in Radiology , the research is an important step towards making MRIs available to all men who need one. Improved MRI imaging will allow clinicians to rule out cancer in more cases without resorting to tissue biopsy, as well as identifying cancer more reliably. Better quality imaging has also been shown to identify the stage a cancer is at more accurately and help make better treatment decisions. Multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (mpMRI) of the prostate is now standard of care in patients suspected of having prostate cancer, reducing the need for an upfront tissue biopsy, which is invasive and can lead to complications. As a result, demand for scans has risen sharply. But only scans of the highest quality can rule out cancer without the need for a subsequent biopsy, or rule in cancer to allow biopsies to be accurately directed towards suspicious areas.