Endorectal MRI foretells prostate cancer prognosis

Researchers have found that endorectal MRI can accurately predict recurrence and development of metastatic disease in patients about to undergo radiation therapy for prostate cancer. Study findings suggest a stronger management role for MRI.

Dr. Fergus V. Coakley, a professor of radiology and urology at the University of California, San Francisco, and colleagues retrospectively analyzed images from 80 men with prostate cancer who had an MR scan before undergoing external-beam radiation therapy. The investigators recorded tumor findings, treatment, and outcomes and used regression analysis to correlate survival with specific characteristics of prostate disease. They found that MRI could accurately predict post-treatment recurrence and disease spread based on the presence and degree of extracapsular extension (Radiology 2008;247:141-146).