8 Bringing health care news to your home New tool improves accuracy of prostate cancer screening Prostate cancer is a leading cause of cancer death in U.S. men. The good news? Catching the disease early may help men beat their prostate cancer. Prostate MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) is a new tool at Columbus Community Hospital that can play a role in that. Prostate MRI scans are most often used to evaluate men who have an elevated prostatespecific antigen (PSA) level that was found with a blood test. A higher PSA level can be a sign of prostate cancer. But it might also be caused by something else, like an enlarged prostate. An MRI scan gives doctors another tool for determining if prostate cancer is present. “An MRI is a more accurate test to help us assess if there’s any potential cancer in the prostate,” said urologist Brett Hill, MD. A prostate MRI does not use X-rays or radiation. Instead, it employs strong magnets, radio waves and a computer to create very clear pictures of tissues inside the prostate. A prostate MRI can help make a prostate biopsy more accurate. In some cases, it may help clarify other reasons for a high PSA besides cancer, allowing men to avoid a biopsy. A prostate MRI scan takes about 45 minutes to an hour, said Matthew Pieper, MD, a radiologist with Columbus Community Hospital’s North Central Radiology. You will go into the MRI scanner feet-first, which helps some people feel less anxious or claustrophobic about being in a confined space. MRI scanners make loud sounds, but you can listen to music with headphones to drown out the noise. Partway through the exam, a technician will inject a contrast dye into your body through intravenous (IV) therapy. The dye helps any tumors in the prostate show up more clearly. What to expect during a prostate MRI Prostate cancer detection
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjI2MTU5NA==