Scanning the prostate before a biopsy
In the 1985 comedy "Movers & Shakers," writer Herb Derman (Charles Grodin) gets a checkup from his doctor (Sandy Ward) that leaves the audience wondering just what medical school the guy went to: "Your prostate is boggy," says the physician.
Turns out that vague description isn't much more precise than what's actually touted as the best way to diagnosis prostate cancer. When PSA (prostate-specific antigen) readings are above normal and a digital rectal exam indicates possible prostate changes, the combo often leads to a multi-sample biopsy, a tough procedure, to check for cancerous cells.
Even now, when active surveillance (a PSA test every six months and tracking symptoms) or watchful waiting (less-aggressive tracking) is the smart move, 1 million prostate biopsies are done in the U.S. annually. From that number, only about 161,360 new cases of prostate cancer are identified.
Since up to 40 percent of those biopsies trigger complications ranging from soreness to infection to acute urinary retention, you'd think there'd be another way to successfully diagnose prostate cancer. There may be, because we're learning how to minimize diagnostic difficulties.
A new British study offers great news: If men with suspected prostate cancer are given a multiparametric MRI (MP-MRI), doctors can determine who should have a biopsy and who can adopt a watch-and-wait plan. (The scan correctly ID'd 93 percent of aggressive cancers as opposed to the standard biopsy finding only 48 percent!) If you're scheduled for a biopsy, ask your doc about getting the MP-MRI scan first.
Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.
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