Private MD News

Ultrasound imaging may soon offer a reliable option for prostate cancer testing

Category: Prostate

Prostate cancer can be easily treated when it is discovered in its early stages. However, men often find the traditional rectal exam uncomfortable and sometimes avoid prostate cancer testing. A new study from European researchers has found that ultrasound testing may be a reliable, non-invasive way to diagnose the disease.

Currently, diagnosis of prostate cancer requires a multi-step process. After PSA testing has noted high levels of a particular protein in the blood, men must undergo further testing, which can be invasive and uncomfortable.

However, the new study from researchers at the Eindhoven University of Technology in the Netherlands showed that ultrasound imaging may be a reliable way to detect the presence of prostate tumors. It may also be able to predict the aggressiveness of these growths.

The use of ultrasound imaging could allow doctors to be more precise in their prostate cancer diagnoses and help more men avoid invasive and potentially harmful procedures, which they may not need in the first place.

Researchers said that their understanding of how to use the technology is still in an early stage, but hope that doctors will be able to begin using it soon.