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Charities say prostate scans could save thousands of unnecessary biopsies | Science & Technology News



A new imaging technique has the potential to help thousands of men avoid invasive tests to check if they have prostate cancer, a charity says.

A study published in the journal Radiology shows that a new type of MRI scan could help doctors rule out prostate cancer more often, potentially saving thousands of men from having to go through the same process. unnecessarily necessary.

According to researchers at University College London, the use of VERDICT MRI scans along with standard imaging techniques has been found to be significantly better at identifying men without prostate cancer.

Prostate Cancer UK, which funded the study with Movember, says it means thousands of men could safely avoid biopsies for prostate cancer testing. .

Biopsies carry certain risks, so the finding could have implications for future practice in the NHS.

Prostate Cancer UK says if the new technique is implemented, it has the potential to reduce the number of unnecessary biopsies by 90%.

Dr Matthew Hobbs, research director at the University of Prostate Cancer UK, said: “It is rare to see such a large improvement in current practice, both in terms of accuracy and in minimizing side effects. harm caused by the test.

“These results are a huge step forward for an exciting new trial that could help thousands of men with unnecessary anxiety and pain each year.”

The new technique can be performed with a standard MRI scanner, experts say, meaning the implementation will be “simple”.

Professor Shonit Punwani, the trial’s principal investigator, said: “These results suggest that VERDICT can enable men to be confident that they do not have prostate cancer and without the need for a biopsy.

“This new technique requires no new equipment – it can be performed on already used MRI scanners and will eventually be doable on all standard 3T scanners, so it will be relatively easy to implement in clinical practice across the UK.

“It has the potential to have the added benefit of reducing the cost of prostate cancer diagnoses for the NHS, which is hugely important given the additional strain on the system caused by the pandemic.

“Our next step is to use VERDICT MRI in an even larger clinical trial across multiple hospital sites. If successful, the trial will provide the evidence needed to change practice in the NHS. in the near future.”



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