Prostate Cancer – Meeting Clinical Needs by Advanced MRI at Diagnosis and on Follow-Up

Carcinoma of the prostate is the commonest form of human carcinoma, found at autopsy in 30% of men at the age of 50 and in over 80% of men in their 90s. Worldwide, more than 650,000 men are diagnosed with the disease each year accounting for a 10th of all new male cancers. In Europe, the lifetime risk of being diagnosed with prostate cancer is approximately 1 in 13. In 2006, an estimated 234,460 American men were newly diagnosed with prostate cancer, and over 30,000 died of the disease. There is a close association between recent increases in the incidence of prostate cancer and the use of transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) for treating obstructive lower urinary tract symptoms due to presumed benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and more recently with serum prostatic serum antigen (PSA) testing. Whether there is a real increase in incidence or not, the number of cases of prostate cancer will rise further as the population at risk (older men) grows with lengthening of life expectancy. With the increased use of PSA testing, it has been noted that there has been a gradual downward stage migration (increased incidence of early disease) with the discovery of carcinomas that are possibly not life threatening. Prostate carcinoma thus represents a significant challenge for men’s health. This fact has been recently recognized by the US Congress with the recent introducProstate Cancer – Meeting Clinical Needs by Advanced MRI at Diagnosis and on Follow-Up