A new research study reports that an emerging MRI scanning technique could help to differentiate aggressive and slow-growing prostate cancers.
Known as carbon-13 hyperpolarised imaging, this specialised MRI scan provides greater detail of tumours, and identifies differences that could be used to predict how they might behave. It has been used previously to assess breast cancer metabolism and in the future could help guide doctors with treatment decisions and potentially replace the need for a biopsy.
The small study was jointly funded by Cancer Research UK and Prostate Cancer UK. A larger, multicenter, trial is the next step, with the hope that in 5 to 10 years time, the technique will be become part of a routine scan and be more widely used across the UK.
A summary of the report from Cancer Research UK can be found here: Prostate MRI Study