Current MRI Methods for the Assessment of Pathologic Prostate: A Brief Review for Clinicians

Abstract

The application of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) have helped in different modalities for prostate cancer management, from early detection to treatment planning and follow-up, the evolution of MRI techniques allows to obtain not only anatomical but also functional information to take advantage of prostate cancer detection and staging while supplying prognostic and predictive biomarkers. This review presents conventional and advanced MRI techniques (known as multiparametric MRI) that allow functional and quantitative assessment of the normal prostate gland and its correlation with prostate cancer. Additional topics include the epidemiology of prostate cancer following the Global Burden Diseases Cancer Collaboration 2018, the clinical anatomy of the prostate gland, and the lower urinary tract; we also mention some aspects of the diagnosis performance in ultrasound. We end the review with a brief explanation about the anatomical foundation of external-beam planning radiotherapy.

Keywords: Diffusion; contrast media; magnetic resonance imaging; magnetic resonance spectroscopy; perfusion imaging; prostatic neoplasms.