PG12-39 Nabi Lay summary
Principal Investigator: Mr Ghulam Nabi, Senior Clinical Lecturer in surgical
uro-oncology at the University of Dundee
Lay title:
Ultrasound characterisation of tissues' stiffness in prostate cancer
What are you proposing?
A new technique of exploiting ultrasound shear wave elastography (SWE) to estimate in-situ (where it is found)
the stiffness of suspicious prostate tissues, which can then further be used to differentiate and manage
different types of prostate cancer areas in the gland.
Why are you proposing it?
Current ultrasound techniques cannot reliably locate prostate cancer in the gland and hence diagnosis
depends on invasive sampling of the gland using established - and essentially limited – systematic biopsy
protocols. Moreover, imaging techniques, including magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), are not accurate
enough to differentiate on their own “good” from “bad” cancers. We believe that implementing tissue stiffness
measurement through SWE in an outpatient setting will be a real advancement for the early characterisation
and management of prostate cancer.
How are you proposing to do it?
We plan to assess: a) the diagnostic accuracy of this new technique in prostate cancer b) its ability to
differentiate between “bad” and “good” prostate cancers and c) its potential limitations and overall performance
(in surrogate phantoms: in-house physical models for prostate cancer), such as in relation to the size and
location of cancers in different regions of the prostate gland.
How long will it take?
36 months
What is the budget?
£237,199
What are the expected outcomes?
1. Improved localisation of prostate cancer using SWE measurement of prostate stiffness.
2. Differentiation between aggressive prostate cancer and more benign lesions.
How could it make a difference to the lives of men affected by prostate
cancer?
Men suspected of prostate cancer may not need as many biopsies (at least 10) as imposed by the current
assessment protocols and technique of ultrasound. By design, SWE will readily guide us to the areas of
Prostate Cancer UK is a registered charity in England and Wales (1005541) and in Scotland (SC039332). A company limited by guarantee registered number 2653887 (England and Wales).
differentiated stiffness and suspected cancer. We also envisage that the techniques evaluated through the
proposed research will actually allow us to differentiate between grades of cancer through the quantification of
the cancer stiffness.
This information will then further assist in decision making as we believe that SWE cancer localisation
combined with 3-dimensional volume estimation from standard ultrasound and with MRI can also provide a
better way of monitoring disease in men who initially elect, especially in the case of low activity cancers, not to
have any treatment.
Please write a summary of the project in one sentence only.
Measurement and quantification of tissue stiffness via shear wave elastography for the diagnosis and
stratification of prostate cancer.