OBJECTIVE: To determine whether suspicion for tumor on prostate MRI incorporating T2-weighted imaging (T2-WI) and diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) predicts more adverse pathology on radical prostatectomy (RP).
METHODS: From 2007 to 2009, 154 patients underwent 1.5 Tesla pelvic-phased-array magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the prostate that included T2-WI and DWI before RP. MRI examinations were retrospectively reviewed and grouped by degree of suspicion for tumor: no suspicion for tumor (NST, n = 15), equivocal suspicion for tumor (EST, n = 60), or strong suspicion for tumor (SST, n = 79). The NST/EST groups were combined and compared to the SST group. Preoperative variables were used to assemble a multivariate model. Outcomes reflective of adverse pathology included primary Gleason grade ≥4, pathologic stage ≥T3 (≥pT3), and tumor upgrading. Subgroup analysis was performed for patients meeting eligibility criteria for active surveillance (n = 55). For this analysis, the NST group was compared to the EST/SST groups.
RESULTS: SST status was associated with adverse preoperative risk factors for aggressive disease. Univariate analysis demonstrated significant association between SST and primary Gleason ≥4 pathology and stage ≥pT3 (P < .05). On multivariate analysis, SST was independently predictive of primary Gleason ≥4 pathology (odds ratio [OR] 6.14, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.97-19.2) and Gleason upgrading (OR 2.47, 95% CI 1.01-6.02). Among patients eligible for active surveillance, those in the NST group had decreased likelihood of Gleason ≥7 disease or stage ≥pT3 compared to the EST/SST groups (7.7% vs 47.6%, P = .01).
CONCLUSION: Increased tumor suspicion on T2-WI/DWI MRI is indicative of adverse pathology on RP. These findings suggest a role for MRI in pretreatment risk assessment.
Written by:
Borofsky MS, Rosenkrantz AB, Abraham N, Jain R, Taneja SS. Are you the author?
Division of Urologic Oncology, Department of Urology, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, NY.
Reference: Urology. 2013 Feb 7. pii: S0090-4295(12)01570-1.
doi: 10.1016/j.urology.2012.12.026
PubMed Abstract
PMID: 23394882
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