Prostate cancer can often go undetected or misdiagnosed in many patients which may lead to severe results. Fusion Guided Biopsy is a safe and precise diagnostic method that helps patients learn how to proceed further with their condition much more accurately under the guidance of our expert doctors.
Prostate cancer is one of the most frequently diagnosed types of cancers and is known to be the second major cause of death in men. Often, traditional testing can give misleading and inconclusive results, particularly such as prostate specific antigen which is still widely used as screening.
Recently, a new state-of-the-art technology known as Fusion Biopsy has been seen to be effective in detecting prostate cancer early and with much higher precision and accuracy. According to studies, this technology shows promising results and is an important advancement in the screening and treatment of prostate cancer over the last 30 years.
Traditional examinations have often given doctors inconclusive evidence of prostate cancer. In any case of uncertainty about the presence of prostate cancer, a biopsy (taking tissue samples) from the prostate had to be performed in a random manner. It had a low specificity and cancer detection rate. At the same time, there was a risk to miss the cancer even in vase the biopsy did not show malignancy.
Nowadays, a dedicated “multiparametric” MRI of the prostate has become the gold standard of evaluation of the prostate – for instance, in any case of abnormal PSA. In any case of suspicious findings in the MRI, an “ultrasound guided targeted prostate fusion biopsy” needs to be performed. It means, the MRI defines the target in the prostate and a specific ultrasound machine allows an image merger of MRI and intraoperative ultrasound to find the target. The MRI has helped to avoid multiple unnecessary prostate biopsies and enhances the quality, accuracy and specificity of the remaining truly indicated biopsy procedures dramatically. The MRI comes with a specific standardized reading, the PIRADS score which is applied by specifically trained expert radiologists to enhance the diagnostic quality and the information value for the clinicians.
According to doctors at American Hospital Dubai, traditional methods and screening tools have not improved as much over the years. Even with PSA testing, the diagnosis is uncertain because the high and low levels of PSA in patients does not often determine whether they have prostate cancer or not – in fact, cancer is only one out of multiple possible reasons for elevated PSA. Ultrasound isn’t much helpful to determine the presence of prostate cancer, either.
Nowadays, the patient first goes through an MRI exam and the suspicious areas marked and are then redefined by real time transrectal prostate ultrasound. Afterwards, the fusion software provides physicians with a detailed 3D ultrasound view. With the help of the 3D image, the urologist is able to precisely guide the biopsy needles to the lesion tissue which cannot be done through the traditional method of blind biopsy.
Every patient, as long as the MRI has been abnormal. Nowadays, there is no more justification to perform a prostate biopsy in any different way but as targeted fusion biopsy.
Fusion Guided Biopsy has far more greater benefits for patients than traditional testing methods as the chance for misdiagnosis has become much less. . Some of the benefits for Fusion Guided Biopsy are:
- The targets can be clearly defined
- The biopsies can be directed very precisely into and around the suspicious areas
- This way of prostate biopsy is more likely to detect clinically significant prostate cancers and at the same time avoids overdiagnosis and -treatment
- The Fusion Guided Biopsy also significantly reduces the number of biopsies a patient has to go through since results are much more precise.
If you would like to come in for a consultation with one of our best-in-class Urologists in Dubai, you can get in touch with us by booking an appointment through our secure online form given on our website.
