A 10-Minute MRI Scan Can Change Men’s Life Forever 

Nature Medicine, a medical journal, published a study about using MRI to screen men for prostate cancer, providing a more accurate diagnosis than blood tests. 

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scans have revolutionized the way prostate cancer is diagnosed. Researchers have found that a blood test alone to detect prostate cancer can be unreliable, leading to overdiagnosis and missing some cancers. The study has shown that using MRI to screen for prostate cancer, in addition to a blood test, can improve diagnosis. 

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer found in men and, at the moment, those aged over 50 can request a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test if they are experiencing symptoms. The PSA test serves to monitor men who have undergone surgery or radiation therapy for prostate cancer, aiming to detect any potential reoccurrence of the cancer. A rise in a man’s PSA level following prostate cancer treatment could serve as an initial indicator of such recurrence. 

Prof Mark Emberton, consultant urologist at UCLH University College London hospital in London, emphasized that “the UK prostate cancer mortality rate is twice as high as in countries like the US or Spain because our levels of testing are much lower than other countries.” 

The Reimagine study invited 303 men aged between 50 and 75 to have a screening MRI and a PSA test. Even though they have a higher risk of prostate cancer, the study highlighted that black men were five times less likely to come forward for screening than white men. 

This new study’s findings are inspiring optimism among men regardless of their race and their skin color, that prostate cancer can be treated and early detected.

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