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0:01

Okay, we've got a difficult case,

0:03

a problem-solving case in a 76-year-old man.

0:06

He's got an elevated PSA of 12.28 on 2/23/18.

0:15

However, his PSA on 3/22/12, which was

0:20

almost six years earlier, was 5.28.

0:23

So the PSA is rising.

0:25

His PSA density was 0.173 nanograms per ml per CC.

0:34

So typically, the cutoff value for

0:38

PSA density for increased risk is 0.2.

0:43

0:46

making process when we do clinical radiographic

0:50

correlation and expand our scoring method

0:55

to the Likert scoring method, which is used

0:59

by more advanced practitioners integrating

1:02

the clinical with the radiographic.

1:05

So let's take a look at this case.

1:07

We start out, maybe not with the optimal image

1:11

that I want to show you, but there is an area

1:13

of mass effect that straddles the surgical

1:17

capsule, which is a pseudocapsule, between the

1:21

TZ and the PZ, the PZ being a little bit whiter.

1:26

Now one caveat that's been brought to

1:28

my attention, and it's true, TZ cancers

1:32

almost never develop posteriorly.

1:34

They're usually in the

1:35

anterior portion of the gland.

1:38

And they usually like to butt up against the AS.

1:42

And in my experience, they also like to cross the

1:44

midline in this area, the so-called gray zone.

1:49

So these are usually larger cancers,

1:52

and they often do diffusion restrict.

1:55

So this cancer's a little further back.

1:57

So one question you have to ask yourself is, is

2:02

this a cancer being extruded from the TZP, or is

2:07

it a cancer that is in the PZ that's invading?

2:13

Now we've got some strong evidence that

2:15

all is not well in the state of prostate.

2:20

On the right, we've got diffusion

2:22

restriction that's exaggerated.

2:26

We've got very dark signal on the ADC map.

2:29

Pay no attention to this linear area

2:33

of abnormality in the left PZP and PZM,

2:37

because we're going to tackle it separately.

2:40

Let's stay with this lesion

2:41

and let's roll and scroll.

2:44

And here we've got more typical PZ signal.

2:49

Nice and bright.

2:51

Separated from the TZ by

2:52

the false surgical capsule.

2:56

Not to be confused with the anatomic capsule.

3:02

But we also have a well

3:03

defined encapsulated nodule.

3:07

That's good.

3:08

So we don't want to see this phenomenon of

3:11

Intermediate signal intensity with smearing,

3:15

with an ill-defined crescentaric character to it.

3:18

And we don't, at this level.

3:21

Now let's go back to our other lesion.

3:24

Our other lesion, we don't have

3:26

that encapsulated look anymore.

3:29

So even if it was in the TZ, we still

3:32

have to be nervous because of its shape.

3:35

And its diffusion characteristics.

3:38

We'll get to the DCE, Dynamic

3:41

Contrast-Enhanced MRI, in a moment.

3:44

Let's keep scrolling though.

3:47

As we get down lower, here's a pretty

3:51

white, arcuate, clean, peripheral

3:55

zone, down low, closer to the apex.

4:00

But on the other side, there's no doubt

4:02

anymore that our lesion, which has mass

4:05

effect, which has a lot of capsular contact,

4:10

worrisome for capsular invasion, is in the PZ.

4:15

We go over to our diffusion high B value

4:19

image, and it is as white as a ghost.

4:24

It's easy.

4:26

And we go over to the ADC map, and it is black.

4:31

Now we go over to the contrast-enhanced image.

4:35

And even though it's not overwhelmingly

4:37

hypervascular, it does correspond

4:40

in shape to this lesion over here.

4:43

And on the next cut, the shape,

4:46

I think, is even a little better.

4:48

And it looks a little different

4:50

than anything else on the image.

4:52

I'm going to window it rather tightly for you.

4:56

You absolutely have to call this a

4:58

PIRADS 5 in the right anterior PZ.

5:03

Because of its shape, its size, greater than 1.

5:07

5 and its diffusion characteristics.

5:11

You can even forget about the

5:12

DCAMRI, which is positive.

5:16

Now we also have some linear foci

5:19

in the back and the PZ on the right,

5:22

which do not diffusion restrict.

5:25

So we would write these off as areas

5:27

of linear scar, so-called PIRADS 2.

5:32

Now we've got another lesion

5:33

that's a little bit more difficult.

5:35

It's kind of a tweener.

5:37

It's rather linear, but not as linear as the one

5:42

on the right in the left posterior PZM or PZP.

5:49

It does have diffusion restriction,

5:52

but not as powerful or as intense

5:55

as the one seen on this side.

5:57

It does have some hypodensity

6:01

or intensity on the ADC map.

6:04

It does have a little bit of hypervascularity.

6:09

It does not have the size

6:10

criteria for a PIRADS 5.

6:14

So, this one, you could go with

6:18

a PIRADS 3 or a PIRADS 4.

6:21

You could kind of straddle

6:22

the fence and make a decision.

6:24

So how are you going to make your decision?

6:27

Well, first of all, does it really matter?

6:29

You're already going in after this

6:31

lesion, so don't fret over it.

6:34

You're going to take a sample of that anyway.

6:36

Just direct the clinician to that location.

6:40

You could use your PSA density, which is under 0.2,

6:44

to downgrade it into the PIRADS 3 category.

6:50

Or you could say, you know what, I've already

6:53

got a cancer, it's a big cancer, it looks

6:57

like a potentially aggressive cancer, the PSA

7:02

density is below 2, but not that much below 2.

7:06

It's 0.

7:08

17, the patient's age, the rise in the PSA,

7:13

and all of those things coming together, I

7:15

think I'll err on the side of probable cancer,

7:19

And I would go with a Likert classification,

7:21

in which I integrate all of the factors,

7:24

in this case, to push it up a little bit.

7:27

But once again, I remind you, it doesn't

7:29

really matter, because you're going

7:31

in and you're biopsying it anyway.

7:35

Now, a couple of other caveats.

7:38

We've already said that TZ cancers, and

7:40

this is not a TZ cancer, it's a PZ cancer.

7:43

But initially it looked like a TZ cancer,

7:46

but most TZ cancers are in the front.

7:50

Another helpful characteristic that we already

7:52

pointed out was the phenomenon of encapsulation.

7:57

A third phenomenon in the TZ that'll help

8:00

you, especially when you have these extruded

8:03

areas of TZ that push into the PZ that

8:07

look a little scary, is when you see nice,

8:10

bright, white, hyperplastic acini, like this.

8:15

This implies differentiation.

8:18

You know, you're making secretory material.

8:21

So when you see these microcysts

8:24

associated with your mass or your nodule,

8:26

that is a potential sign of benignity.

8:31

So I think we'll, we'll stop

8:33

right there on this case.

8:35

We've got an anterior rightward, an

8:39

anterior right PZ, Pirates 5, Likert 5.

8:44

In other words, this is

8:45

cancer till proven otherwise.

8:48

with a large area of capsular contact,

8:52

suspicious for capsular microinvasion.

8:55

We've got a non-contentious linear lesion,

8:58

probably remote scarring from prostatitis, with

9:02

no diffusion restriction, and no abnormality

9:06

on the ADC map, and no hypervascularity.

9:10

And we've got a tweener lesion, in the left

9:12

PZP PZM, that has some Diffusion restriction,

9:18

and some signal alteration on the ADC map,

9:21

and some vascularity, and we've given you

9:24

some criteria to decide whether you're

9:26

going to go PIRADS 3 or PIRADS 4, or you're

9:30

going to use the clinical radiographic

Report

Faculty

Stephen J Pomeranz, MD

Chief Medical Officer, ProScan Imaging. Founder, MRI Online

ProScan Imaging

Tags

Prostate/seminal vesicles

MRI

Genitourinary (GU)

Body

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