Dramatic Advancement in Prostate Cancer Diagnosis with MRI - Pacific Urology first in East Bay to use cutting edge technology

WALNUT CREEK, Calif., Nov. 4, 2014 /PRNewswire/ --  Urologists at Pacific Urology, the surgical division of Diablo Valley Oncology/Hematology Medical Group are the first in the San Francisco East Bay area to fuse magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with ultrasound prostate imaging creating a three-dimensional map of the patient's prostate, allowing physicians to find dangerous cancers previously undetectable.

Prostate cancer is the most common form of cancer in American men, 1 in 6 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during his lifetime. For men in the United States, prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death after lung cancer.

"The conventional ultrasound study provides a limited view of the prostate, often missing dangerous cancers," said Judson Brandeis, MD, manager partner of Pacific Urology, who along with Stephen Taylor, MD, are pioneering the new technology at their Walnut Creek prostate cancer center. "Without the help of MR imaging, we are unable to see most prostate cancers. We use ultrasound to sample the parts of the prostate that we know are more likely to have malignancy," continued Brandeis.

However, the traditional ultrasound biopsy often will miss cancers. After a benign biopsy the PSA levels may continue to rise. Multiparametric T3 magnetic resonance imaging reveals areas normally not visible using the ultrasound imaging and can find the more aggressive prostate cancers, often missed by conventional ultrasound biopsy. Early diagnosis of these aggressive tumors improves a patient's cure rate.

The only additional step for patients is a non-invasive MR imaging study which occurs at an imaging center in a separate visit in advance of the biopsy exam. Then, the urologists at Pacific Urology combine the DynaCAD for Prostate with the UroNav fusion biopsy system – to fuse the MRI with real-time, ultrasound-guided biopsy images which results in what is called a 3D road map of the prostate.

"Providing the highest level of medical care to our patients has always been our goal. My colleagues and I believe the MRI guided prostate biopsy will reduce the number of unnecessary biopsies and result in earlier diagnosis when aggressive cancer is present. We are able to precisely target the biopsy exactly where the cancer is located. It's a game-changer," said Dr. Stephen Taylor.

For more information about Pacific Urology's and MRI/ultrasound fusion, please call 925-937-7740 or visit us at www.PacificUrology.com.

SOURCE Pacific Urology

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http://www.pacificurology.com