London, Ontario - Improved hybrid imaging techniques developed at Lawson Health Research Institute (Lawson) may have big potential for effectively detecting prostate cancer, better guiding therapy selections and enabling minimally invasive treatments.
Dr. Glenn Bauman, Associate Scientist with Lawson as well as Radiation Oncologist, London Regional Cancer Program, London Health Sciences Centre and Professor and Chair of Oncology at the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry at The University of Western Ontario, is leading a research team that aims to use multi-modality imaging to detect prostate cancer with a high degree of accuracy. The research will develop innovative techniques that will benefit cancer patients through improved abilities to detect, map and treat prostate cancer.
Currently, PSA tests are performed to detect if prostate cancer is present. The tests work by measuring the amount of PSA (prostate-specific antigen) that is found in the blood stream. However, in men who are confirmed to have cancer, this diagnostic test is limited in its ability to predict the amount of cancer in the prostate and its exact location. According to Dr. Bauman, the lack of detailed information provided by PSA test limits the ability to tailor treatments like surgery and radiation to the individual patient for highest benefit and the lowest chance of side effects.
Dr. Bauman and his research team of 23 investigators are researching a more precise and reliable technique for diagnosing and treating prostate cancer. The team is combining prostate cancer images using computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, three-dimensional ultrasound and nuclear medicine techniques to create “hybrid imaging maps” that can be used to non-invasively predict the location of cancer within the prostate. The researchers hypothesize that this unique imaging modality will be better able to characterize the biologic, functional and morphologic characteristics of prostate cancer and, as a result, will improve the ability to diagnose and cure prostate cancer with minimally invasive, low morbidity techniques. Essentially, the team hopes to use advanced imaging to form a “GPS-like system” of the prostate that will allow doctors to better target the cancer prior to treatment.
“If we can create a more detailed picture of the prostate cancer prior to treatment, we can use this information to better target our treatments to the individual and maximize the chances of curing the cancer while reducing the chance of side effects,” says Dr. Bauman.
Not only will the scientists’ efforts translate into numerous benefits for patient care in prostate cancer diagnosis, the principles behind the research may have applications for many other cancers as well. The team and other research groups are exploring novel forms of imaging prostate cancer in laboratory-based, pre-clinical cancer models. The ability to create prostate maps that are established through the team’s work can also be extended to incorporate these newer imaging techniques as they are developed for use in humans.
The researchers are in the process of starting key clinical studies. The first stages of the research are focused on creating the ability to accurately combine the many imaging studies into one comprehensive map of the prostate cancer and to compare this map against the actual location of cancer found in the prostate following surgical removal of the prostate (prostatectomy). Once this first clinical study is completed, the hybrid imaging maps will be validated through a second study of patients undergoing prostatectomy.
“Through rigorous evaluations of the imaging-based maps through these clinical trials, we will have the opportunity to formally evaluate the benefits of this new diagnostic tool, minimize the learning curve and provide a mechanism to ensure appropriate use of the technology for the benefit of patients,” says Dr. Bauman. “Subsequent trials will explore the use of these maps in directing diagnostic tests such as prostate biopsy and guiding prostate directed treatments such as radiation and surgery.”
Prostate cancer remains a significant health care problem and is the second-leading cancer killer of men after lung cancer. Each year, 680,000 men worldwide are diagnosed with the disease and about 220,000 will die from it. The last decade has witnessed a 20% increase in the number of men diagnosed with prostate cancer and this trend is projected to continue in the coming decade.
"Dr. Bauman and his team’s research have the potential to transform the management of prostate cancer," says Dr. Morag Park, Scientific Director of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research’s Institute of Cancer Research. "By harnessing the latest imaging technology, the team will improve the ability to identify, characterize and treat prostate cancer and help reduce the number of men who die from this disease each year in Canada."
Key leaders on the research team include, Dr. Ting Lee, Lawson Health Research Institute, Dr. Aaron Fenster and Dr. Terry Peters, Robarts Research Institute at The University of Western Ontario, Dr. Martin Yaffe, Toronto Sunnybrook Research Institute and Dr. Joseph Chin, London Health Sciences Centre.
The work is being supported by a grant from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.
For more information, please contact:
Julie Barr
Communications Consultant
Lawson Health Research Institute
519-646-6100 ext. 61098
Julie.barr@lawsonresearch.com