Purpose: To assess the current status and future potential of multiparametric MRI (mpMRI) and MRI-targeted biopsy (MRI-TBx) on the pretherapeutic risk assessment in prostate cancer patients' candidates for radical prostatectomy.
Methods: A literature search of the MEDLINE/PubMed and Scopus database was performed. English-language original and review articles were analyzed and summarized after an interactive peer-review process of the panel.
Results: Pretherapeutic risk assessment tools should be based on target plus systematic biopsies, where the addition of systematic biopsy (TRUS-Bx) to the mpMRI-target cores is associated with a lower rate of upgrading at final pathology. The combination of mpMRI findings with clinical parameters outperforms models based on clinical parameters alone in the prediction of adverse pathological outcomes and oncological results. This is particularly true when a specialized radiologist is present.
Conclusion: The combination of mpMRI findings and clinical parameters should be considered to improve patient stratification in the pretherapeutic risk assessment. There is an urgent need to develop or include MRI data and MRI-TBx findings in available preoperative risk tools. This will allow improving the pretherapeutic risk assessment, providing important additional information for patient-tailored treatment planning and optimizing outcomes.
Keywords: Magnetic resonance imaging; Prostate cancer; Review; Risk assessment; Targeted biopsy.