Prostate Cancer

ExactVu micro-ultrasound system image courtesy of Exact Imaging.

Images of prostate cells captured through photoacoustic imaging. Top: cancer cells that express the targeted cancer marker, PSMA; bottom: cells that lack PSMA. A research team led by Kent Nastiuk of Roswell Park Cancer Institute has published new evidence that this approach can be a useful tool in monitoring and selecting treatments for many cancers.

The image on the left is a magnetic resonance image (MRI) of a prostate enhanced with restriction spectrum imaging (RSI). Higher grade tumor is indicated by orange and yellow. The image on the right is a digitized section of the prostate with the tumors outlined with blue dotted lines. Image courtesy of UC San Diego Health.

Radiation dose is delivered by beams directed from many angles combined with implanted seeds (white spots). By integrating the two types of radiation, the highest dose is delivered only within the tumor. The external beams correct any irregularity from the seeds. Thanks to MRI planning, very little dose goes to critical adjacent structures. Image courtesy of University of Michigan Health System.