Ashtead hospital is proud to offer a Multiparametric MRI (MP-MRI) service for the prostate gland. The scans are reported by a team of three radiologists, Dr Kashif Burney, Dr Chris George and Dr Nalin Khosla who specialise in the imaging of the prostate.
More than 40,000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer every year in the UK. It is generally found in older men but can occur in younger patients.
A latest study published in the Lancet called the PROMIS trial has shown that performing a multi-parametric MRI before a biopsy significantly improves the accuracy of detecting clinically harmful prostate cancer, while also reducing the number of unnecessary biopsies by 25%.
There are a number of aspects to the MP-MRI. This involves assessing the fine detail of the structure of the gland as well as restriction of water movement by aggressive cancer cells. An injection is also given towards the end of the scan to assess the MRI dye uptake in the cancer and comparing it with normal cells of the prostate.
Combining these different types of images, MP-MRI creates a more detailed picture of the prostate than a standard MRI scan, and can help guide the needles of a TRUS (Transrectal Ultrasound guided) biopsy to more accurately target any cancer found. If the scan shows a high probability of a clinically significant cancer in an area not routinely accessible (mostly around the front of the prostate) by a TRUS biopsy then a targeted biopsy can be performed with guidance from the MP-MRI.
The combination helps detect cancer and avoid unnecessary treatment.
The scan time is around 45 minutes.
A clinical assessment and referral by a Consultant Urologist is required, which can be booked at Ashtead Hospital.