The research, being conducted by a team at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, is still in its early stages. However, the finding of the research may lead to a better way of diagnosing prostate cancer
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MR spectroscopy used to diagnose prostate cancer
Lead author of the study, Leo L. Cheng, PhD, of the MGH Imaging and Pathology departments said that his team used magnetic resonance (MR) spectroscopy for the diagnosis of the prostate cancer. The technique yielded encouraging results.
"It detects tumors that cannot be found with other imaging approaches and may give us information that can help determine the best course of treatment," said Leo Cheng of MR spectroscopy.
MR spectroscopy relies on diverse radio wave frequencies to compute the chemical composition of tissues. In such cases, no contrast agent is needed as different chemicals appear at different wavelengths.
In other words, the technique examines the biochemistry of the tissue and not its structure.
"Collectively analyzing all the metabolites measurable with a 7-Tesla MR scanner maps out prostate cancer in a way that cannot be achieved by any other current radiological test or by analyzing changes in a single metabolite," claimed Cheng.
Cheng and his team have already developed a software program which evaluates the chemical information obtained from the MR spectroscopy to the profile of a prostate tumor.
Current status
Till date, there is no imaging test that doctors can employ to verify the size or location of tumors within the prostate. Furthermore, there exists no mechanism to tell the doctors whether the tumor in the prostrate is aggressive or benign.
Blood tests that screen for prostate-specific antigen or PSA can, at best, suggest the occurrence of the cancer. The Prostate biopsies have the tendency to miss a tumor.
"The current imaging technology cannot see where the cancer is. Even when we found the cancer through biopsy, we do not know if it is aggressive or not," Cheng said.
Surgery, radiation or hormone therapies are the standard forms of treatment of prostate cancer. However, they carry the risk of causing impotence and incontinence.
Next only to lung cancer, prostate cancer is the most common form of cancer in men globally. The latter accounts for over 2,50,000 deaths every year.
The findings of the Cheng’s study have been published in the Jan. 27 online issue of Science Translational Medicine.
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