Ultrasound is
a high frequency sound that
cannot be detected by human
hearing. Ultrasound medical
imaging is a technique that uses
repetitive high frequency sound
waves which are directed towards
the human body and detected by a
special probe when they bounce
back. This technique works similar to the
ultrasound system used by
bats for directing their flight
and hunting. Ultrasound is
used to visualize
internal organs, even fetuses, to capture
their size, outline, structure
and some times pathological
lesions in real time. Ultrasound
can identify anatomical
borders of the prostate gland,
but cannot
discriminate between benign
versus malignant prostatic
tissue. However, ultrasound
helps to identify the prostate
gland when doing biopsies.
Other prostate imaging
modalities currently used such
as magnetic resonance imaging
(MRI), x-ray computed tomography
(CT scan), positron emission
tomography (PET), and single
photon emission tomography
(SPECT) do not provide
reliable
information regarding cancer
identification either. Combining imaging modalities
such as MRI/CT, PET/CT,
SPECT/MRI/CT have demonstrated
some success in the diagnosis of
advanced disease; however, they have
consistently failed to identify
small localized cancers
(≤1cc) within the prostate.
Consequently, many cancers are
missed and often are spread
beyond the prostate gland when
finally diagnosed.
Even though
prostate cancer may be
diagnosed at an early stage,
conventional
transrectal ultrasound guided
needle biopsies (TRUS) often fail to
provide accurate Gleason grade and stage
(focality and extension) of the disease due to
sampling errors. However, the
combination of 3D ultrasound
imaging and
pathology of mapping
biopsies is the only approach
that has demonstrated the
highest assessment for disease
grading and stage.
Optical biopsies – This
is a research technique that uses wavelengths of light to
directly examine prostatic
tissue and assist in proper lesion identification. If
prostatic carcinoma can be
identified in real-time and in
vivo, then additional prostate
biopsies can be directed to
these locations to
determine the highest cancer
grade as well as the extent of
the disease. [
Read more - PDF file ] [
Article: Optical biopsy shines light
on prostate cancer ] |