T2-Weighted endorectal magnetic resonance imaging of prostate cancer after external beam radiation therapy.
OBJECTIVE
To retrospectively determine the accuracy of T2-weighted endorectal MR imaging in the detection of prostate cancer after external beam radiation therapy and to investigate the relationship between imaging accuracy and time since therapy.


METHODS
Institutional review board approval was obtained and the study was HIPPA compliant. We identified 59 patients who underwent 1.5 Tesla endorectal MR imaging of the prostate between 1999 and 2006 after definitive external beam radiation therapy for biopsy-proven prostate cancer. Two readers recorded the presence or absence of tumor on T2-weighted images. Logistic regression and Fisher's exact tests for 2x2 tables were used to determine the accuracy of imaging and investigate if accuracy differed between those imaged within 3 years of therapy (n = 25) and those imaged more than 3 years after therapy (n = 34). Transrectal biopsy was used as the standard of reference for the presence or absence of recurrent cancer.


RESULTS
Thirty-four of 59 patients (58%) had recurrent prostate cancer detected on biopsy. The overall accuracy of T2-weighted MR imaging in the detection cancer after external beam radiation therapy was 63% (37/59) for reader 1 and 71% for reader 2 (42/59). For both readers, logistic regression showed no difference in accuracy between those imaged within 3 years of therapy and those imaged more than 3 years after therapy (p = 0.86 for reader 1 and 0.44 for reader 2).


CONCLUSIONS
T2-weighted endorectal MR imaging has low accuracy in the detection of prostate cancer after external beam radiation therapy, irrespective of the time since therapy.
Westphalen
Antonio C
AC
Department of Radiology, Abdominal Imaging Section, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California 94143-0628, USA. antonio.westphalen@radiology.ucsf.edu
Kurhanewicz
John
J
Cunha
Rui M G
RM
Hsu
I-Chow
IC
Kornak
John
J
Zhao
Shoujun
S
Coakley
Fergus V
FV
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001706:Biopsy / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020360:Neoadjuvant Therapy; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000473:pathology*; D015588:Observer Variation; D011467:Prostate / Q000473:pathology*; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000532:radiotherapy; D012007:Rectum / Q000473:pathology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity