Imaging methods help detect and assess prostate cancer
One man out of 11 develops
adenocarcinoma of the prostate. Accurate detection and staging of the cancer are
essential for its proper treatment and for the extension of patient life expectancy.
In a review of the uses of computer
technology in the diagnosis and staging of prostate cancer, Yanong Zhu of the University
of East Anglia in Norwich and his colleagues at Norfolk and Norwich University
Hospital and at the University of Wales in Aberystwyth, all in the UK, note that
a variety of imaging tools are involved in these efforts. Furthermore, improvements
in computer technologies may see software approaches integrated with more conventional
detection and staging methodologies.
The large amount of data derived from
clinical examinations, tumor pathology and markers, and imaging studies can be difficult
to integrate to draw out the best therapeutic approach for a patient with prostate
cancer. Artificial neural networks may have a role in aiding medical decision-making
in this complex area. Also, computerized simulations of prostate biopsies are becoming
useful for evaluating existing physical biopsy schemes and designing better biopsy
strategies.
The authors discuss conventional detection
and staging methods, including digital rectal exams and the use of prostate-specific
antigen; the ability of artificial neural networks to detect and stage disease;
computerized visualization and simulation of prostate biopsies; and computer-aided
analysis of ultrasound and MRI images.
They say that the remaining challenges
include the further development of statistical shape-based image segmentation techniques,
the registration of intra- and intermodality data, and the inclusion of data regarding
the surrounding tissue. With these challenges met, they foresee the realization
of a full 3-D model of the prostate that can be integrated into clinical evaluation
tools. (
Medical Image Analysis, April 2006, pp. 178-199.)
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