No abstract

PURPOSE To explore the impact of MRI-ultrasound (MRI-US) fusion prostate biopsy on prediction of final surgical pathology. MATERIALS AND METHODS 54 consecutive men undergoing radical prostatectomy at UCLA after Artemis fusion biopsy (Eigen, Grass Valley, CA) were included in this prospective IRB-approved pilot study. Using MRI-US fusion, tissue was obtained from a 12-point systematic grid (mapping biopsy, MBx) and from regions of interest detected by multi-parametric MRI (targeted biopsy, TBx). A single radiologist read all MRIs, and a single pathologist independently re-reviewed all biopsy and whole-mount pathology, blinded to prior interpretation and matched specimen. Gleason score (GS) concordance between biopsy and prostatectomy was the primary endpoint. RESULTS Mean age was 62 years, with median PSA 6.2 ng/ml. Final GS at prostatectomy was 6 (13%), 7 (70%), and 8–9 (17%). A tertiary pattern was detected in 17 (31%) men. 32/45 (71%) high-suspicion (image grade 4–5) MRI targets contained prostate cancer (CaP). The per-core cancer detection rate was 20% by MBx and 42% by TBx. The highest Gleason pattern at prostatectomy was detected by MBx in 54%, TBx in 54%, and the combination in 81% of cases. 17% were upgraded from fusion biopsy to final pathology; one case (2%) was downgraded. The combination of TBx and MBx was needed to obtain the best predictive accuracy. CONCLUSIONS In this pilot study, MR-US fusion biopsy allowed for prediction of final prostate pathology with greater accuracy than that reported previously using conventional methods (81% versus 40–65%). If confirmed, these results would have important clinical implications.

Study Type – Therapy (outcomes research)
Level of Evidence 2c OBJECTIVE To quantitatively assess the effect of radical prostatectomy (RP) on the specific domains that comprise overall sexual function (SF), focusing on the relationships among these domains and overall SF, and to identify predictors for recovery of SF over time, as a decline in SF and sexual bother (SB) are known potential complications of treatment for prostate cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS Within the Cancer of the Prostate Strategic Urologic Research Endeavor database, we identified men diagnosed between 1995 and 2001 with localized prostate cancer treated with RP. SF and SB outcomes, measured using the University of California Los Angeles Prostate Cancer Index, were assessed at 6‐month intervals for 4 years after RP. RESULTS In all, 620 men met the study criteria; at 6 months after RP, overall and all the specific domains of SF declined, with improvement in most specific domains by 2 years after RP. The greatest declines were in the ability to achieve erections, high‐quality erections, and frequent erections; these domains were also most strongly correlated with overall SF. Sexual desire was relatively preserved, and there was a weak correlation between overall SF and sexual desire after RP, when there was the greatest discrepancy between sexual desire and other domains of function. SB showed continued improvement over time to 4 years but was not well correlated with any measurements of SF assessed. Younger age, college education, sexual aid and medication use, the absence of comorbid conditions, and nerve‐sparing surgery were predictive of significant recovery of function in several specific domains of SF. CONCLUSIONS RP affects specific domains of SF to differing degrees. Compromised erectile function is most commonly reported among these specific domains and seems to play a more dominant role in determining overall SF, but notably none of the domains of function were closely linked to SB. Because education is protective in the perception of bother, appropriate counselling and the setting of expectations for outcomes in overall and specific domains of SF might lead to improved quality of life after treatment for prostate cancer.

The critical maneuvers to preserving erectile function are atraumatic dissection of the prostate away from the optimal nerve-sparing plane to maximally preserve nerve fibers while minimizing neurapraxia. Therefore, attaining these principles involves a conceptual paradigm shift from 'radical' prostatectomy to neurosurgery of the prostate.

Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer in men, with 1.1 million new cases worldwide reported by the World Health Organization in one recent year. Transrectal ultrasound (TRUS)-guided biopsy has been used for the diagnosis of prostate cancer for over 2 decades, but the technique is usually blind to cancer location. Moreover, the false negative rate of TRUS biopsy has been reported to be as high as 47%. Multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (mp-MRI) includes T1- and T2-weighted imaging as well as dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) and diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI). mp-MRI is a major advance in the imaging of prostate cancer, enabling targeted biopsy of suspicious lesions. Evolving targeted biopsy techniques—including direct in-bore biopsy, cognitive fusion and software-based MRI-ultrasound (MRI-US) fusion—have led to a several-fold improvement in cancer detection compared to the earlier method. Importantly, the detection of clinically significant cancers has been greatly facilitated by targeting, compared to systematic biopsy alone. Targeted biopsy via MRI-US fusion may dramatically alter the way prostate cancer is diagnosed and managed.