- Scan times will decrease by a third and the cost of procedures will almost halve
Waiting times for prostate cancer will be shortened after scientists found a faster and cheaper way to diagnose the disease.
Experts predict this will change clinical practice, allowing more cases to be detected early and paving the way for thousands more men to be tested each year.
Scan times will drop by a third and the cost of procedures will almost halve, freeing up much-needed money for the healthcare system.
Men suspected of having prostate cancer currently receive a three-part MRI scan before undergoing biopsies if necessary. But studies have shown that these tests can be refined, speeding diagnosis.
University College London hospitals found that under the new system, even with the last scan removed, radiographers spotted the same number of serious prostate cancers.
Experts predict this will change clinical practice, allowing more cases to be detected early and paving the way for thousands more men to be tested every year. Pictured: file photo
Men suspected of having prostate cancer currently receive a three-part MRI scan before undergoing biopsies if necessary. Pictured: file photo
The increased demand means that less than two-thirds (62 percent) of men in England and Wales who needed a prostate MRI received one in 2019.
But there are hopes the streamlined two-scan tests can be rolled out to hospitals almost immediately, reducing waiting lists and improving outcomes for patients.
Dr. Francesco Giganti, chief radiologist at UCLH, said: ‘The three-part multiparametric MRI scan has been a gamechanger for the diagnosis of prostate cancer, saving thousands of patients from unnecessary biopsies.
‘If we can make accurate diagnoses without the contrast phase (third phase), scan time will be reduced by around a third, meaning we can offer scans to more men with the same number of scanners and operators.’
Dr. Matthew Hobbs, research director at Prostate Cancer UK, which funded the research, said the new tests “will enable more men to benefit from better, more accurate diagnosis at a lower cost to healthcare systems, not just in the UK, but globally.” .’
Scan times will drop by a third and the cost of procedures will almost halve, freeing up much-needed money for the healthcare system. Pictured: file photo
With more than 50,000 men diagnosed in Britain every year, the Daily Mail has been at the forefront of advocating for better diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer for 20 years. According to Prostate Cancer UK, a man dies from prostate cancer every 45 minutes.
The study, called PRIME, involved cancer specialists from 22 hospitals in 12 countries and 555 patients.
Its results, presented at the European Association of Urology conference in Paris this weekend, come ahead of a ‘landmark’ NHS trial into prostate cancer screening due to start.
A Department of Health spokesperson welcomed the findings, saying: ‘We are committed to improving outcomes for prostate cancer and in November we unveiled a £42 million screening study with Prostate Cancer UK to find ways to reduce its detection to speed up.’
