Magnetic Resonance-Based Electrical Property Tomography (MR- EPT) for Prostate Cancer Grade Imaging

Abstract

Abstract : Determining whether a man recently diagnosed with prostate cancer has aggressive disease requiring immediately radical therapy or indolent disease requiring a more passive watchful waiting or active surveillance approach is a current clinical challenge. This technology development study is focused on developing Magnetic Resonance Electrical Property Tomography (MR-EPT) specifically for prostate imaging. MR-EPT is an imaging modality that may enable clinicians to image the electrical properties of prostate at near MR resolution. These electrical properties are hypothesized to provide sufficient contrast for distinguishing between aggressive and indolent prostate cancer. Much of the second year of this program has focused on additional MR-EPT image reconstruction algorithm development and optimization, experimental imaging of both simplistic and anatomically accurate phantoms, continued recruitment for ex vivo prostate imaging, initial statistical analysis ofex vivo prostate data, and initial recruitment for in vivo prostate imaging. During this year we have demonstrated additional imaging capabilities of MR-EPT through phantom studies, have recruited and imaged more that half of our proposed ex vivo cohort of prostates, and began recruitment for the in vivo imaging phase of this program. The no-cost-extension year of the program will primarily focus on completing our ex vivo and in vivo data acquisition, statistical analysis of our data, and preparation of publications and proposals for follow-on more clinically focused studies.