Aim: Not all trusts in the UK have 3T MRI scanners. Are patients with suspected prostate cancer therefore adequately staged with a more conventional 1.5T MRI scanner? The aim of the study was to evaluate the accuracy of standard 1.5T MRI without endorectal coil for the staging of prostate cancer compared against the histopathological results following radical prostatectomy. Methods: Prospective study enrolled 65 patients with biopsy-proven PCa who underwent MRI prior to undergoing radical

more »

... tectomy from December 2012 to June 2014. Results: Median times for patients having an MRI scan after TRUS biopsy were 32.5 days. Preoperatively 38.5% of patients were diagnosed with T3/ T4 disease with MRI. The prevalence of pT3 and above prostate cancer confirmed histologically was 22/65 (33.84%). Postoperative down staging was documented in 12/65 (18.46%) while upstaging in 9/65 (13.85%). The sensitivity of MRI diagnosing T3 disease was 14/22 (63.63%), specificity 29/ 43 (67.44%), accuracy 43/65 (66.15%) Conclusion: Standard MRI detected 63.63% of all patients with T3 prostate cancer, a crucial feature when planning definitive treatment. The promising detection rate of our study, while being operator dependent, offers a cost effective imaging modality for preoperative staging of prostate cancer.