New method for prostate cancer examinations developed
A new method for examining patients for prostate cancer has been developed. The process reduces the need for biopsies and may eliminate them altogether.
The method was part-funded by the European Research Council and developed at Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) and the Academic Medical Center (AMC) Amsterdam. Typically, prostate tissue must be removed with the use of 12 large biopsy needles in order to examine it for cancer. Over 70% of tests result in a negative diagnosis. However, in further tests, 30% of these men then receive positive diagnoses for late stage cancer. This may mean that the biopsies were taken at the wrong place.
Massimo Mischi, research team leader at TU/e, has developed a method to find out whether men have prostate cancer and where it is located using ultrasound scanners. These devices look inside the body, just like the ultrasound equipment used during pregnancy examinations. However, these devices normally cannot distinguish between healthy tissue and tumour tissue.
To make the difference visible, Mischi took advantage of the fact that tumours create lots of small blood vessels in a typical pattern in order to grow. Once a dye with tiny bubbles is injected into the patient, the ultrasound scanner is able to pick up the smallest blood vessels. Using advanced image analysis techniques, which recognise the typical vascular pattern of tumours, the computer then generates an accurate picture of where any possible tumours are.
Researchers took the image results of 24 patients and found that the tumour location was predicted fairly accurately. The examination took one minute to complete and the results were available after ten minutes.
The new method could be introduced without cost since the equipment is already present in hospitals. A major comparative study will be undertaken by AMC Amsterdam and two other hospitals during which both methods will be performed on a minimum of 250 patients. If the trial proves successful, it will be made available for other patients from 2016.
