Milford Regional Medical Center Introduces Advanced Prostate Cancer Detection with 3D MRI/Ultrasound Fusion Technology
Milford Regional Medical Center now offers two, new breakthrough technologies for detecting prostate cancers that may have been previously missed using standard ultrasound-guided biopsies. The Medical Center is the first in the region to offer this targeted, leading-edge approach to the detection and management of prostate cancer through the use of multiparametric MRI and 3D MRI/Ultrasound Fusion Biopsy.
Historically, finding the exact location of cancer in a prostate gland has been a challenge. Conventional prostate biopsy techniques are referred to as “blind” biopsies since physicians typically cannot easily view the specific location of any abnormal tissue. Now, using the revolutionary Artemis 3D imaging and navigation system, physicians are able to better identify and more accurately biopsy suspicious prostate cancer areas.
The 3D MRI/Ultrasound Fusion (or MR/US Fusion) targeted biopsy procedure starts with the patient undergoing a multiparametric MRI. This advanced imaging technology has the ability to detect otherwise invisible cancers within the prostate.
Using magnetic waves, this painless radiological exam may now detect an abnormal area in the prostate, previously invisible on the ultrasound images, in order to provide a more accurate target for a biopsy. These MRI images are then fused with real-time ultrasound images to create a detailed 3D high-definition map of the prostate. This allows the physician to accurately target any visible lesions during the biopsy. Biopsy images can then be permanently downloaded to the patient’s electronic medical record and are invaluable in planning future surgery, radioactive seed placement or external beam radiation to cure the cancer.
Patients recommended for this procedure are men who, typically, have elevated and/or rising prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels or those with a clinical concern for prostate cancer.
“Targeted MRI/US Fusion prostate biopsy using the Artemis System is a truly revolutionary technology which allows urologists to diagnose potentially aggressive prostate cancers that would not have been otherwise detected through our conventional biopsy methods,” says Urologist Jeffrey Steinberg, MD. “The availability of this state-of-the-art procedure is yet another example of how patients at Milford Regional Medical Center have access to the latest and greatest cancer treatments right here in our own community."
Approximately 161,000 new cases of prostate cancer will be diagnosed this year in the United States and over 26,000 men will die from the disease. If diagnosed early, prostate cancer can be easily cured through robotic surgery, radioactive seed implantation or external beam radiation therapy, which are all performed on a regular basis at Milford Regional Medical Center. With multiparametric MRI and 3D MRI/Ultrasound Fusion at Milford Regional, earlier detection is possible.
For more information on 3D MRI/Ultrasound Fusion Biopsy at Milford Regional, call Dr. Jeffrey Steinberg, Urology Specialists of Milford, LLC at 508-473-6333.
