A team from Imperial College London and Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust has been awarded 1 million pounds (1.2 million euros) to conduct a trial to determine whether a new MRI method can diagnose prostate cancer.
The group will assess whether this new method in which doctors carry out targeted prostate biopsies is better at detecting prostate cancer than traditional biopsies.
One part of the trial, which is funded by Cancer Research UK, will look at the effectiveness of using biparametric MRI (bpMRI), a shorter type of MRI scan that uses the same device to image the prostate to detect signs of cancer. Instead of 40 minutes, it takes 15 minutes and does not involve a gadolinium injection, and it costs 200 pounds.
The second part of the trial will use image fusion technology, which can guide the biopsy needle to within 2 mm to 3 mm accuracy, to help identify the target area for biopsy.
If proven effective, this new method could save the National Health Service an estimated 15 million pounds per year, according to an Imperial press release.
