UK study: Prostate cancer diagnosis: MRI scans found to be more accurate than blood tests

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A groundbreaking study conducted by UK scientists reveals that a 10-minute MRI scan is a considerably more accurate method of diagnosing prostate cancer compared to the widely used blood test. The findings suggest that an MRI scan could potentially form the basis of a comprehensive screening program for prostate cancer.

In the study, researchers at University College London administered both an MRI scan and a PSA test to 303 men between the ages of 50 and 75. The MRI scan detected signs of cancer in the prostate of 48 men, even though 32 of them had PSA levels below the recommended threshold of 3 nanograms per milliliter (ng/ml) for further investigation.

Further clinical assessment revealed that 29 men had tumors requiring treatment, with 15 of them having serious cancer despite their PSA readings being below 3ng/ml. The study, published in BMJ Oncology, emphasizes the need to reconsider the approach to prostate cancer screening.

Caroline Moore, professor of surgery at UCL and the chief investigator of the study, commented, “The fact that over half of the men with clinically significant cancer had a PSA level below 3 ng/ml and would have been reassured that they didn’t have cancer solely based on a PSA test is a thought-provoking finding. This underscores the necessity of adopting a new approach to prostate cancer screening.” She further added that the initial results indicate that MRI scans could offer a more reliable method of early detection for potentially serious cancers, with the added benefit of less than 1% of participants being over-diagnosed with low-risk disease.

Prostate cancer is the most prevalent tumor among men, with approximately 52,000 new cases reported annually in the UK, leading to 12,000 deaths each year, according to Cancer Research UK.

Currently, men over 50 in the UK have the option to request a PSA blood test if they are concerned about prostate cancer, but there is no official screening program in place. While elevated PSA levels are often associated with prostate cancer, they can also be caused by various other factors, and sometimes remain low despite the presence of a prostate tumor.

The next phase in evaluating the feasibility of a national prostate screening program will involve a larger-scale MRI-based study, also led by UCL. This project aims to recruit 800 men from hospitals in London, Cambridge, and Manchester, as well as a community site in London. It will utilize a new technique capable of detecting prostate cancer in a five-minute scan, which can be performed using a mobile MRI scanner housed in a traveling van.

Mark Emberton, professor of oncology at UCL, expressed confidence in the potential of a national screening program to significantly reduce the mortality rate of prostate cancer in the UK. He stated, “Prostate cancer is highly treatable when detected early, and I believe that implementing a national screening program can achieve this outcome within the next five to ten years, although considerable work lies ahead.”