For this reason, the annual prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test has been established for men after the age of 50 years.
The diagnosis of prostate cancer is made with transrectal biopsies under ultrasound guidance.
In the last years, it is obvious that this method has some disadvantages:
- It is an invasive method with, even a slight, possibility of complications.
- The biopsies are randomly taken, which results to damages in the areas the biopsy needle cannot reach, as it is possible that the repeated obtaining of biopsies is needed.
- Well differentiated and small lesions are diagnosed, which have no clinical importance and no treatment is required for them.
- There are patients with aggressive tumors, which are underdiagnosed. In these cases the multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging of the prostate, shows with precision the suspicious areas so that a most targeted biopsy obtaining can follow.
Polyparametric magnetic resonance imaging is a bloodless and easy method for the diagnosis of prostate cancer.
It is systematically applied globally since 2012, after the publication of specific guidelines by the European Society of Urogenital Radiology regarding the way this examination should be performed and assessed.
In the last five years, it has been certified that the multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging of the prostate is very useful and accurate. Its advantages, synergistically with traditional methods, such as the PSA control, the transrectal biopsies and the digital rectal examination are obvious, because:
- it is a bloodless test
- it does not image well differentiated damages/lesions, that have no clinical importance and do not require treatment, only monitoring
- it shows very accurately aggressive tumors, that need to be immediately treated
Therefore, with magnetic resonance imaging
- Patients with minor unimportant prostate damages avoid useless and painful treatments and require only monitoring.
- The transrectal biopsies after MRI are targeted in the area of the tumor with higher chances of success.
- The treatment of patients is planned with highest accuracy, because the extension of the disease is imaged in detail.