MRI Before Transrectal Ultrasound-Guided Prostate Biopsy Improves Diagnostic Accuracy

Men with elevated serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels often undergo transrectal ultrasound-guided (TRUS) biopsies, but this technique sometimes detects clinically insignificant cancers and misses clinically significant ones. In addition, many men with elevated PSA levels don't have cancer, and TRUS-guided biopsy can be associated with complications.

Investigators tested whether multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (MP-MRI), a technique that assesses both tissue anatomy and tissue characteristics, proficiently identified high-risk prostate cancer. MP-MRI was performed in 576 men with clinical suspicion for prostate cancer (based on elevated PSA levels, rectal examination, or family history), and its potential diagnostic accurac…