Grant: Strategic Projects - Group

Prostate cancer (PCa) is the most frequently diagnosed malignancy and the second leading cancer related cause of death in North American men. According to the Canadian Cancer Society and the U.S. National Cancer Institute, one in six men will be diagnosed with PCa each year (about 25,000 in Canada and about 220,000 in the US). Of these, more than 30,000 will die of the disease. These numbers are expected to double within the next two decades when the baby boomer generation reaches the age of peak prevalence of PCa. If diagnosed early, PCa can be managed with a long-term disease free survival rate above 90%. Diagnosis of PCa is currently confirmed through ultrasound-guided systematic biopsy. Due to the multifocal nature of PCa and the very low sensitivity of ultrasound in identifying cancerous regions in the prostate, this biopsy regimen is scaled to the prostate gland in a blind manner. Ultrasound-guided systematic biopsy does not provide an accurate picture of the distribution of cancer in the prostate. We propose to develop real-time ultrasound-guided targeted biopsy. Specifically, by integrating measurements of tissue elasticity with tissue typing information we can identify highly probable cancerous tissue and significantly improve on the sensitivity and predictive value of ultrasound-guided systematic biopsy. Real-time ultrasound-guided targeted biopsy will reduce the high rates of false negative and repeat biopsy brought about by systematic biopsy. This research will improve the diagnosis and reduce the health costs for millions of Canadians. In addition, this novel integration of ultrasound modalities will provide the foundation for future innovation in prostate cancer diagnosis. Five graduate students, three undergraduate students, and two technical staff members will be trained during the term of this project. The medical imaging and computer assisted diagnostic expertise and interdisciplinary skills gained from conducting this research are in high demand by Canadian biomedical technology companies, hospitals and research institutes.