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The
Role of Combined MRI & MRSI in Treating Prostate Cancer
By the Prostate Cancer MRI/MRSI Group (Penelope
Wood, BS, John Kurhanewicz, Ph.D., Daniel Vigneron, Ph.D., Mark
Swanson, Ph.D., and Saying Li, MD.), Department of Radiology, University
of California, San Francisco (UCSF).
Reprinted from PCRI Insights August 2000 v3.2
Clinical assessment of the extent of prostate cancer
(PC) is often difficult because of the relatively
small size and complex anatomy of the
prostate and its inaccessible location deep within
the pelvis. Traditionally, the extent of PC has
been evaluated by digital rectal
examination (DRE) in combination with other clinical data
(PSA, number of positive biopsies or core percentage
positive for PC). Increased awareness of
limitations of traditional methods for diagnosis
and staging of PC has mobilized the development
and application of new imaging modalities
for its assessment. Several new non-invasive
imaging techniques, such as transrectal
ultrasound of the prostate (TRUSP) have been developed
to aid in this evaluation. However, these
diagnostic modalities still have limitations. Even
when combined with other clinical tools they
often cannot consistently provide all the information
needed by physicians.
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and
magnetic resonance spectroscopic
imaging (MRSI) examinations are techniques that are
FDA-approved, and the clinical utility of MRI in
assessing PC has been well studied. MRSI has
been integrated into an MRI staging exam at
UCSF and the combined metabolic and anatomic
data has proven more accurate than MRI
alone in identifying the location and spatial
extent of the cancer within the prostate and
determining whether it has spread outside the
gland. Additionally, recent studies have indicated
that MRSI may provide an assessment of cancer
aggression and can detect residual or recurrent
cancer after therapy. This review will
focus on the combined use of MRI and MRSI for
the assessment of PC.
MRI as a Staging Technique
MRI emerged in the1980s as an outgrowth
of the use of nuclear magnetic resonance to study the
structure of chemical compounds. It quickly
became the best imaging technique to assess
problems associated with soft tissues. MRI uses a
strong magnetic field and radio frequency waves
to non-invasively obtain morphologic pictures
(images) based on tissue water. It has the following
advantages over other radiological techniques used for PC diagnosis:
- It does not use ionizing radiation.
- It can obtain images in sagittal,
coronal,
axial, and/or oblique planes.
- It provides more soft tissue contrast
than other radiological techniques, and PC has
low signal intensity as compared to surrounding
regions of healthy tissue. This
decrease in signal intensity is due to differences
in structure between cancerous
and normal prostate tissue.
- Endorectal/pelvic phased array
coil MRI has demonstrated higher accuracy than
other modalities in assessing seminal
vesicle invasion and extra-capsular
extension (ECE) of PC (96% and 81%r
respectively).
Within the same exam, endorectal MRI can
also be used to assess the possibility of PC
spread to lymph
nodes and bones within
the pelvis and close to the prostate.
However, even with all of these advantages,
MRI has the following limitations:
- Localization of cancer within the prostate: MRI used
alone has demonstrated a good sensitivity (79%) but low specificity (55%) in determining tumor location
and spatial extent within the gland. This
results from a large number of false positives that
are caused by factors other than cancer (e.g.
post-biopsy hemorrhage,
chronic prostatitis, benign
prostatic hyperplasia (BPH),
intra-glandular dysplasia, trauma, and therapy)
that yield the same
low signal intensity as cancer.
- Lymph node
metastases: Both MRI and CT have demonstrated high specificity
(98% and 97%, respectively) but low sensitivity
(36% and 34%, respectively) in
detecting lymph node disease. This low
sensitivity results from a high occurrence of
false negatives, rather than false positives.
Improving MRI with New
Technology & Experience
Recently, there has been a dramatic
improvement in MRI assessment of PC. The latest endorectal
MRI studies have demonstrated staging accuracies
consistently between 75% and 90% that
are higher than staging accuracies reported
using TRUS. This increased accuracy has been
the result both of improved MRI technology and
of greater experience in interpreting MRIs of the
prostate.
Multiple Coils
One important technical improvement is the user
of multiple coils to image the prostate. Currently
the prostate is imaged using an endorectal coil
combined with four external coils. This
approach provides both the sensitivity to acquire
high-resolution images of the prostate and the
ability to image the entire pelvis. The use of the
endorectal coil provides the necessary sensitivity
to zoom in on the prostate and to acquire the
MRSI data, while the pelvic phased array (four
external coils) allows a large enough field-of-view
(FOV) to assess pelvic lymph nodes and
pelvic bones for metastatic disease.
Computer Post-processing
However, variability in image quality
due to image intensity dramatically decreasing with distance
from the surface coil and subsequent difficulties
in interpretation may present a problem.
To correct for this, the UCSF MR research team
has developed computer post-processing to create
uniform images and thereby greatly improve
image interpretation. The
improvement in image quality can be clearly seen in the
anatomic
image through the middle of the prostate of a
patient with cancer (as shown on the left side of
the image in Figure 1 ).

Figure 1. Comparison of axial endorectal
coil/pelvic phased array FSE prostate images A (prior to) and B
(after) performing an analytic correction for the reception profiles
of the endorectal and pelvic phased array coils. The slight (10°)
tilt in the placement of the endorectal coil hindered the ability
to identify the low signal intensity cancer in the left peripheral
zone of the uncorrected image. In the corrected image, the high
signal intensity close to the endorectal coil has been removed
allowing for improved visualization of the PC (low T2 signal intensity
on the left side, short arrow on left) and the prostatic capsule (thin dark line encompassing the prostate, arrows on the right
side). |
After the high (bright) signal
intensity close to the endorectal coil (Figure 1A) has been corrected
for, the anatomy of the prostate as well as
the tumor process can be more clearly visualized.
The cancer can now be identified as a region of
low (dark) signal intensity in the peripheral zone
of the prostate as indicated by the arrow on the
left in Figure 1B. The correction also improves
visualization of the prostatic capsule (Figure 1B,
right side), which is critical to an assessment of
cancer spread outside the prostate.
Reader Experience
Additionally, increased experience in interpreting
endorectal coil MR images and a better understanding
of the morphologic criteria used to
diagnose extra-prostatic disease has also
improved the performance of endorectal MRI. This improvement in the performance of
endorectal MRI should continue in the future as
the UCSF image correction becomes available to
other sites and as radiologists gain additional
experience concerning what morphologic and
metabolic findings are most predictive of early
cancer spread. Increased experience should result
in improved guidelines for those patients most
likely to benefit most from an MRI exam, and
should allow integration of MRI results with
other radiological and clinical findings.
Objectified
Reporting
The graphic reporting of MR findings in an
objectified format will need to become routine
in order to avoid ambiguities due to the English
language. This commits the reader to evaluate
all aspects of the MRI and MRSI that may have clinical
relevance. An example of a proposed format
for such objectified reporting is shown below:

Magnetic
Resonance Spectroscopic Imaging
While the staging accuracy of MRI
has recently improved, the assessment of location and extent
of PC within the prostate still remains problematic.
Studies evaluating clinical data, systematic
biopsy, TRUS, and MRI have shown disappointing
results for tumor localization within the
prostate. The problem lies in
(1) the lack of specificity that TRUS and MRI alone
have
in
identifying cancer and (2) the sampling error
associated with systematic biopsies. Spectroscopy,
however, has demonstrated high specificity
in identifying cancer.
Expanding the Effectiveness of
MRI by Including MRSI
The recent development
and use of MR spectroscopic imaging (MRSI) expands the diagnostic
assessment of PC beyond the morphologic
information provided by MRI. As with MRI, MRSI
uses a strong magnetic field and radio
waves to non-invasively obtain metabolic
pictures
(spectra) based on the relative concentrations
of cellular chemicals (choline, creatine,
citrate).
With MRSI, one observes specific
resonances (peaks) for citrate, choline and creatine
from contiguous small volumes throughout
the gland.
The peaks for these different chemicals
occur at distinct frequencies or positions
in the
MRSI spectrum
(Figure 2, plots 1 and 2). The area
under these peaks is related to the concentration
of these metabolites, and changes in
these concentrations
can be used to identify cancer. Figure
2 shows cancer in the low signal intensity
region labeled
by box 1 versus the normal peripheral
zone high signal intensity labeled
by box 2.
These
are
two 0.24 cc volumes (a cube 6.5 mm
on a side) pulled
out of the entire MRSI array of volume
(that consists of hundreds of these
volumes covering
the
entire prostate).
 |
Figure 2. Fifty-eight year
old man with pathologic stage
pT3a PC, Gleason
score (GS) 5. Corrected T2-
weighted axial MR image through the mid-prostate
obtained using an endorectal coil. A 0.24 cc spectrum
obtained from the area of imaging abnormality
(1) demonstrates elevated choline at 3.2 ppm,
creatine at 3.0 ppm, and reduced citrate at 2.6 ppm;
this is a pattern consistent with cancer. MR spectra
obtained from the right side of the image (2)
demonstrate a normal spectral pattern with citrate
dominant and no abnormal elevation in choline. |
In a study of 85 PC
patients who had combined MRI/MRSI evaluation prior
to radical
prostatectomy, significantly higher
choline levels, and significantly
lower citrate
levels were
observed in regions of cancer as
compared to BPH and normal prostatic tissues.
The ratio
of these metabolites (choline + creatine/citrate)
in regions of cancer had minimal
overlap vs normal prostate tissue
or BPH values (high specificity). This
study
indicated that MRSI could provide
the degree of
specificity for identifying cancer
within the prostate that was lacking
with MRI
alone.
Recent studies have, in fact,
demonstrated that an improved assessment
of the
presence and spatial extent of
cancer within the prostate, as well as
its spread outside
the gland, can be obtained by
combining the information from MRI and MRSI
(See Figure 3).

Figure 3. PC can be more accurately identified based on a concordant
decrease in signal intensity demonstrated on
the MRI image (A) and metabolic abnormality detected by MRSI (B).
Image B shows a region of abnormal metabolism
(in red) overlaid on the corresponding T2 weighted MR image. The
region of abnormal metabolism in red corresponded
with the area of decreased T2 signal intensity (image A) allowing
for the identification of cancer with increased
confidence. The region of cancer can be viewed volumetrically in
multiple planes as seen from selected axial images
taken from the base (C), mid-gland (D), and apex (E) of the prostate.
Normally, 30-40 axial images are acquired
contiguously through the prostate. By stepping through these high-resolution
axial images, the trained radiologist can
assess the spread of cancer through the capsule as seen in images
D and E.
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In a study of 62 patients undergoing MRI/MRSI evaluation
prior to RP, with step-section histopathology, it
was demonstrated that PC could be localized to a sextant of the prostate
(i.e. left/right
base, mid-gland and apex) with a specificity of up to 91%
when both MRI and MRSI were positive for cancer and
a sensitivity of up to 95% when either
MRI or MRSI were positive for cancer (See Table 1 ).

(a) Sensitivity = True Positives ÷ (True Positives + False
Negatives)
(b) Specificity = True Negatives ÷ (True Negatives + False
Positives)
A high sensitivity study is associated with only a few patients
being told
they do not have PC when in fact they do have PC (false negative
results
are minimal-therefore sensitivity high)
A high specificity study is associated with only a few patients
being told
they do have PC when in fact they do not have PC (false positive
results
are minimal-therefore specificity high) |
It has also been demonstrated that assessment
of cancer spread outside the prostate can be
significantly improved by combining MRI findings
that are predictive of cancer spread (based
on studies of patients who received surgery after
MRI/MRSI) with an estimate of the spatial extent
of metabolic abnormality provided by MRSI. In
a study of 53 patients who received an MRI and
MRSI exam prior to surgery, it was demonstrated
that the addition of MRSI information increased
the accuracy (from 0.77 to 0.83) in predicting
early cancer spread outside the prostate (See
Figure 4 below).

Figure 4. This graph demonstrates the trade-off between
sensitivity and specificity when using MRI/MRSI to predict
ECE. A perfect test (100% sensitive and 100% specific)
would be a straight line up the vertical axis. The area
under the curve (Az) represents the overall accuracy of
the test. It can be clearly seen that combining MRI and
MRSI increases the accuracy (increased area under the
ROC curve) of predicting early ECE. |
Metabolic information can also provide new
insights into tumor aggressiveness, which may
lead to improved risk assessment of patients with
PC. An MRI/MRSI study of 26 biopsy-proven PC
patients prior to RP and step-section pathologic
examination was recently reported. It demonstrated
a correlation between the magnitude of
the decrease in citrate and the elevation of
choline with cancer aggressiveness as reflected in
the Gleason Score (See Figure 5). When
comparing higher GS (>6) to lower GS (=6) cancers,
a statistically significant (P<0.0001) difference
in (cancer choline)/(normal choline) ratios was
observed. There was also a significant (P<0.05)
correlation between the elevation of choline and
(choline + creatine)/citrate ratio, and reduction
in citrate with GS.

Figure 5 shows
aggressive PC
(bottom image right
side) and
non-aggressive PC
(upper image-right
side). The cancerous
area can be
visualized as a
region of lower
signal intensity on
the right side of the
image; the corresponding
spectra
are shown to the
right. In not very
aggressive cancer
(GS 5 top right),
citrate was
reduced but
choline was not
elevated.
Conversely, in
aggressive cancer
(GS 8, bottom
right), citrate was
absent and choline
was very elevated.
(Cho = choline,
Cr = creatine and
Cit = citrate) |
While the GS still remains the standard
for confirming the presence of PC and predicting
biologic behavior, the potential of
MRSI to provide similar information is very
exciting. Due to the great heterogeneity of
prostate cancers as well as biopsy sampling
errors, cancers are often inaccurately graded or not detected. In
these cases, 3D-MRSI might be
valuable in providing an additional assessment
of cellular function and organization, non-invasively
and throughout the gland.
MRI/MRSI Findings in Response
to Anti-Cancer Therapy
MRSI will probably have its greatest impact
on the assessment of PC therapy and on the selection
of additional therapy. After therapy, the ability to
detect the presence and spatial extent of cancer by
MRI alone is reduced due to the morphologic
changes induced by the therapy (See Figure 6).
However, studies have indicated that residual or
recurrent PC can be metabolically discriminated
from normal and necrotic tissue after therapy.
Basically, the pattern of elevated choline and
reduced citrate observed in regions of cancer prior
to therapy are also seen in areas of persistent or
recurrent PC after therapy.
 |
Figure 6 illustrates recurrent
cancer after brachytherapy. The
axial images shown represent
one 3-mm section through the
prostate (before and after therapy)
selected from a contiguous
series of 32 images through the
prostate. The regions colored in
red are areas determined to be
abnormal by MRSI. These regions
had (choline + creatine)/citrate
peak area ratios that were more
than three standard deviations
greater than healthy values.
Radiation seeds can be seen as
very dark spots in the peripheral
zone of the prostate in the bottom
image. Although cancer was
dramatically reduced after
brachytherapy, a region of
residual abnormal metabolism
consistent with cancer is seen on
the right side of the image. This
area also corresponded to a
region of low radiation dose.
This information allows for
earlier intervention with
additional therapy. |
In some cases, such as after
androgen deprivation therapy (ADT), the treatment directly
affects one of the metabolites. For example, prostatic
citrate production and secretion have
been shown to be regulated by the hormones
testosterone and prolactin, and
we have observed an early dramatic reduction of citrate
after initiation of combined ADT.
Additionally, there is a time-dependent loss of all
prostatic metabolites in regions of both cancer
and healthy tissue following the initiation of
ADT.This finding is consistent with the
increased frequency of tissue atrophy that occurs
as the duration of ADT increases. These findings
indicate the potential of MRI/3D MRSI to provide
a measure of the time course of response and
information concerning the mechanism of therapeutic
response. The improved assessment of
therapeutic response provided by combined
MRI/MRSI should allow for earlier intervention
in patients with recurrent disease.
The determination of the accuracy
of combined MRI/3D-MRSI for detecting residual cancer
after therapy is more difficult than it is prior to
therapy due to the lack of a gold standard
(pathology of the surgically removed prostate)
and the long natural history of PC. Therefore,
large-scale outcome studies are required to determine
if MRI/3D-MRSI can morphologically and
metabolically assess the early efficacy of therapy.
These studies are currently underway. If successful,
MRI/MRSI should again allow for earlier
intervention in patients with recurrent cancer
after therapy and shorten clinical trials
of PC therapy by providing surrogate endpoints
of therapeutic success.
Current Status of the
Clinical Use of MRI/MRSI in
PC Assessment
Over the last ten years at UCSF, the combined
MRI/MRSI PC-staging exam has gone from a
research to a clinical exam.
- 3D MRSI has been integrated into a clinical
MRI staging exam for PC taking a total of
50 minutes.
- The fact that over 2000 MRI/MRSI exams
have been performed to date at UCSF has
allowed a determination of the utility of
combined MRI/MRSI in assessing PC.
- A majority of these patients
were covered by insurance. Patients are encouraged
to check with their insurance company to ensure coverage.
The following CPT codes may be
quoted: 72196(MRI) and 76390(MRS).
MRSI data is factored into all
clinical MRI reports by radiologists at UCSF. These reports
summarize the location and extent of disease
within the prostate, the possibility of
cancer spread through the capsule, any
involvement of nearby tissues (surrounding
nerves and blood vessels, and seminal vesicles),
and any cancer spread to lymph nodes
and bones within the pelvis. Additionally, the
report will provide a prostate volume (by MRI) and PSA density
if a recent PSA is
given. Currently however, the report will
not provide a cancer volume. The ability
of MRI and MRSI to provide an estimate
of cancer volume is under investigation.
A clinical package
is under development in conjunction with GE Medical
Imaging and will be available in the
future to hospitals in other locations.
PC patients have opted for an MRI/MRSI
exam prior to therapy for a number of reasons.
Last year at UCSF 69% of the patients
receiving an MRI/MRSI exam did so prior to
therapy, and had the exam for the following
reasons:
- To determine the location, extent, and
potential of cancer spread so that this
information can be used to decide which
therapy is best for individual patients.
- To improve therapeutic
planning and evaluation (Figure 7 below).
- To improve diagnosis: There
are a growing number of patients with negative
biopsies and elevated or rising PSAs, who
are using MRI/MRSI to target regions
for subsequent ultrasound guided biopsy.

Figure 7. On the right side are two representative
axial MRI/MRSI images (cancer in red)
taken prior to (top) and after Brachytherapy
(bottom). On the left side is an axial CT
image taken through the same prostate, with
overlaid MRI/MRSI information (white lines).
Oncologists currently use CT images to plan
radiation therapy (red lines is a contour map
of radiation dose). CT is very good at visualizing
bones within the human body, but does
not visualize soft-tissues such as the prostate
very well. Moreover, CT cannot accurately
detect cancer within the prostate. The superior
anatomic detail provided by high resolution
MRI can be used to better define the prostate (traced in white on
the CT image) and
surrounding radiation-sensitive tissues for
improved radiation treatment planning. The combination
of MRI and MRSI can also better define
the location and extent of cancer within the
prostate (hash-marked area on CT image) thereby
allowing radiation oncologists to give these regions
increased doses of radiation while minimizing
radiation to surrounding tissue.
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A growing number of patients with suspected
cancer recurrence after therapy are
getting an MRI/MRSI restaging exam. In
fact, last year 34% of the MRI/MRSI exams
were performed post therapy as follows:
- 103 patients after hormone ablation
therapy
- 76 patients after radiation therapy
- 49 after brachytherapy
- 27 after external beam radiation
- 11 patients after RP
- 40 patients before and after
nutritional/lifestyle intervention.
For More Information
Patients or physicians wanting more
information about MRI/MRSI at UCSF can
contact Penny Wood or Kristin Wright at
(415) 476-4159 or
may e-mail them at:
penny@mrsc.ucsf.edu and
kristin@mrsc.ucsf.edu
Physicians wanting to arrange an MRI/MRSI
study should call (415) 353-2573 for additional
details. The clinical data form that
must be completed by the physician & patient
can be printed from the following Internet
address: www.mrsc.ucsf.edu/prostate.html and sent by fax to (415) 476-8809 or e-mailed
directly from the above Web site.
Editor's Notes:
(1)
For current MRI contact information click
here.
(2) This technology is now marketed by GE Healthcare using the
name PROSE (PROstate Spectroscopy and imaging Examination). For
more information about PROSE, click
here.
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