Speeding up diagnosis with fast MRI scans

Thanks to your support, MRI scans have transformed how prostate cancer is diagnosed. Fewer men now have unnecessary biopsies, and targeted biopsies for men who need them have improved the accuracy of diagnosis.  However, increasing demand for MRI scans means that some men are waiting too long for a scan – or can’t access one at all – causing delays in diagnosis and treatment.  This is why, with your help, we funded new research to find out if MRI scans could be made faster, without reducing their accuracy.

The scans most often used today are called multiparametric MRI scans (mpMRI).  They combine information from three different parts of the scan, and take around 30-40 minutes.  The third part involves an injection with a contrast dye, which requires a doctor to be nearby and has a small risk of side effects.

A faster form of scan, called a biparametric MRI (bpMRI), combines information from just the first two parts of the scan.  This means a contrast dye injection is not needed, a doctor doesn’t need to be nearby, and the scan time is reduced to 15-20 minutes.

To test if a bpMRI scan could detect prostate cancer as accurately as a longer mpMRI scan, we funded Associate Professor Veeru Kasivisvanathan and his team at University College London to run a clinical trial called PRIME. 

Excitingly, the PRIME trial showed that faster bpMRI scans were just as good at detecting prostate cancer as longer mpMRI scans.  The faster scans were also around half the cost.  If fast MRI scans were adopted across the NHS, men could spend less time in hospital as there would be no requirement for an injection or a doctor to be present. This could allow many more men to be scanned each year, speeding up diagnosis and reducing delays in starting treatment.

When Roy was diagnosed with prostate cancer, long waits between tests, scans and appointments took a serious toll on his mental health, and he eventually paid privately to speed up the process.  After recovering from surgery, Roy was able to come off anti-depressants and he felt like himself again.

Determined to do something positive with his experience, Roy and his family raised £3,500 taking part in Prostate Cancer UK’s ‘Run the Month’, and he now encourages other men to get tested for prostate cancer early.

From research idea to access for all

Idea

Researchers wanted to test if faster bpMRI scans, which don’t need a contrast dye injection, could be as accurate as longer mpMRI scans at detecting prostate cancer that needs treatment.

Lab research

Researchers carried out a quality control study called GLIMPSE, testing the quality of MRI scans at 41 medical centres in 18 countries.  Finding that just 32% of scans were of the best quality, the GLIMPSE team developed a set of recommendations which resulted in 97% of scans reaching the highest standard.  A clinical trial to compare bpMRI and mpMRI could now confidently go ahead.

Clinical trials

The PRIME trial, involving 490 men from 12 countries, found that faster bpMRI scans were just as accurate as longer mpMRI scans - with both types of scan detecting prostate cancer that needed treatment in 29% of men. The faster bpMRI scans took up to half the time of standard mpMRI scans, and were nearly 50% cheaper.

Approved for use

The PRIME trial suggests the NHS could safely introduce faster MRI scans for the diagnosis of prostate cancer.  We’re urging NICE – the organisation that decides which treatments and technologies should be available on the NHS – to start reviewing the evidence.

Access for all

Faster MRI scans can be performed on existing MRI scanners, meaning they could be introduced quickly into the NHS.  Hospitals can prepare by following the GLIMPSE study recommendations to produce the best possible quality scans.  This will help all men having MRI scans to receive the most accurate diagnosis.

A closer look

Find out more about GLIMPSE in this clip from an Ideas to Impact webinar for supporters, presented by one of the study's lead researchers, Dr Alexander Ng.