It’s called the Artemis System or the UroNav Fusion Biopsy System with DynaCAD software, and it may be coming to a hospital or urologist near you. I had a similar procedure a few years ago at the NIH, though this research was also exploring the use of high definition MRI as a non-invasive alternative to biopsy. Will it reduce the number of false negatives for prostate biopsies or improve localization of a known tumor? We can only hope so!
“As with PCs in 1975,” said Dr. Marks, “there are some deniers, but not many once they see the dramatic results of fusion-guided biopsies. Despite the cost, the learning curve, the new technology, and the time investment, the train has left the station.”
In fact, he said that his department believes MRI-ultrasound fusion represents the gold standard for prostate biopsies today. Nationally, said Dr. Marks, urologists use MRI-ultrasound fusion in less than 1% of the 1 million prostate biopsies performed yearly. But that will change quickly, he said, as heavyweight imaging companies continue putting their marketing muscle behind the technology.”
Are there any urologists or hospitals using this MRI Ultrasound Fusion Biopsy in the mid south area ?- Tennessee, Louisiana, Arkansas, Missouri ? Please give me contact information.
Thanks
Just this past weekend (May 18, 2014), a presentation at the American Urological Association (AUA) annual meeting demonstrated the remarkable success of Opko Health’s 4kscore test to reduce the need for biopsies up to 50%.
4kscore provides a patient with his personal risk for high-grade prostate cancer from a blood test.The panel of biomarkers used in the 4Kscore has been tested in over 10,000 men by investigators at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and leading institutions participating in the European Randomized Study of Screening for Prostate Cancer (ERSPC). The results demonstrated the ability of the 4Kscore Test to discriminate between men with high-grade, aggressive prostate cancer and those men who had no findings of cancer or had low-grade disease. The discrimination, measured by Area Under the Curve (AUC) analysis, was 0.82 and was significantly higher than previously developed tests. Furthermore, the 4Kscore Test demonstrated excellent risk calibration, indicating the accuracy of the result for an individual patient.
The 4kscore test is much cheaper than biopsy–not to mention there is no risk!–and I am not aware of any insurance carrier that won’t cover the cost (according to one’s health plan).
Link:
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/opko-presents-4kscore-test-clinical-190400598.html;_ylt=A0SO8zX2.XpTxC0Ac8pXNyoA;_ylu=X3oDMTEzYWs3bWY0BHNlYwNzcgRwb3MDMwRjb2xvA2dxMQR2dGlkA1ZJUDM3MF8x