Potentials and Limitations of Real-Time Elastography for Prostate Cancer Detection : A Whole-Mount Step Section Analysis

• Published in: TheScientificWorld Vol. 2012; no. 2012; pp. 1 - 6
• Main Authors: Halpern, Ethan J., Frauscher, Ferdinand, Junker, Daniel, Horninger, Wolfgang, Bektic, Jasmin, Pallwein-Prettner, Leo, Schäfer, Georg, Aigner, Friedrich, Schullian, Peter
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cairo, Egypt Hindawi Puplishing Corporation 01.01.2012; The Scientific World Journal; Hindawi Limited; Wiley
• Subjects: Aged; Antigens; Biopsy; Cancer; Cancer surgery; Elasticity; Elasticity Imaging Techniques - methods; Histopathology; Humans; Lesions; Localization; Male; Middle Aged; NMR; Nuclear magnetic resonance; Prostate - diagnostic imaging; Prostate - pathology; Prostate cancer; Prostatectomy; Prostatic Neoplasms - diagnosis; Prostatic Neoplasms - diagnostic imaging; Prostatic Neoplasms - therapy; Real time; Reproducibility of Results; Sensitivity and Specificity; Tumor Burden; Tumors; Ultrasonic imaging; Urology
• ISSN: 2356-6140; 1537-744X; 1537-744X
• DOI: 10.1100/2012/193213

Objectives. To evaluate prostate cancer (PCa) detection rates of real-time elastography (RTE) in dependence of tumor size, tumor volume, localization and histological type. Materials and Methods. Thirdy-nine patients with biopsy proven PCa underwent RTE before radical prostatectomy (RPE) to assess prostate tissue elasticity, and hard lesions were considered suspicious for PCa. After RPE, the prostates were prepared as whole-mount step sections and were compared with imaging findings for analyzing PCa detection rates. Results. RTE detected 6/62 cancer lesions with a maximum diameter of 0–5 mm (9.7%), 10/37 with a maximum diameter of 6–10 mm (27%), 24/34 with a maximum diameter of 11–20 20 mm (70.6%), 14/14 with a maximum diameter of >20 mm (100%) and 40/48 with a volume ≥0.2 cm3 (83.3%). Regarding cancer lesions with a volume ≥ 0.2 cm³ there was a significant difference in PCa detection rates between Gleason scores with predominant Gleason pattern 3 compared to those with predominant Gleason pattern 4 or 5 (75% versus 100%; P=0.028). Conclusions. RTE is able to detect PCa of significant tumor volume and of predominant Gleason pattern 4 or 5 with high confidence, but is of limited value in the detection of small cancer lesions.