The Role of MRI in Prostate Cancer Detection

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men, except for skin cancer. Around 60% of cases are diagnosed in men aged 65 or older. While most prostate cancer does not cause any symptoms at all, the symptoms and signs of prostate cancer may include frequent urination, weak or interrupted urine flow or the need to strain to empty the bladder, the urge to urinate frequently at night, blood in the urine, new onset of erectile dysfunction, pain or burning during urination, or discomfort or pain when sitting, caused by an enlarged prostate.

If prostate cancer is suspected, a physical examination by a patient’s doctor and various markers may be used to decide if more diagnostic tests are needed. The PSA (prostate-specific antigen) test is the most used, which checks for elevated levels of PSA protein in the blood, which can indicate prostate cancer. If a patient’s doctor determines that initial markers signify possible prostate cancer, they will likely schedule a biopsy. The biopsy will remove small amounts of tissue from the prostate to be examined under a microscope.

If a biopsy is needed, a prostate MRI will ensure the biopsy is highly targeted to the area in question, reducing the number of biopsy samples needed and the number of needle sticks required to obtain them. An MRI scan uses magnetic fields to produce detailed images of the body.

At Imaging Specialists, we offer the latest advanced technology to diagnose prostate cancer early with our 3T Prostate MRI imaging. CAD (Computer-aided diagnosis) combined with our 3T MRI allows our radiologists to detect prostate cancer early and to accurately evaluate the extent of the disease.