MRIs can predict whether cancer will return

A recent research has found that magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can help to predict whether prostrate cancer will return in patients who have previously suffered from the disease.

MR images taken of prostate cancer patients before the treatment show that cancer extending outside the prostate gland capsule will return, according to a recent study by radiologists at the University of California-San Francisco.

The study examined 74 men with biopsy-proven prostate cancer who underwent endorectal MR imaging of the prostate, said Antonio Westphalen, MD, the lead author of the study.
Tumor size, stage and extra-capsular extension (cancer spread outside the prostate gland capsule) were all traced.

"The study focused on patients who were treated with radiation therapy, more specifically, external beam radiation therapy, which is the treatment of choice of about one-third of patients with newly diagnosed prostate cancer," said Dr. Westphalen.

After a follow-up of an average 42 months, four patients showed signs of metastases and all four had extra-capsular extension seen on MR imaging before treatment, Dr. Westphalen said.

Out of the four, three of them had more than 5mm of extra-capsular extension at MR imaging, he said.

"The main goal of our study was to identify features on our imaging that would predict treatment failure, perhaps allowing for a more conscientious decision ahead of time. We found that a subset of patients who presented with imaging signs of extra-capsular extension prior to radiation were more likely to develop metastases in the future," said Dr. Westphalen.

The full results of the study will be presented on Tuesday, May 8, 2007 during the American Roentgen Ray Society Annual Meeting in Orlando, FL.