Prostate cancer is one of the most common forms of cancer, with around 10,000 people dying each year as a result of the disease but there is currently no screening programme in the UK. Researchers at Imperial College Healthcare and @imperialcollegevideo, supported by the NIHR Imperial Biomedical Research Centre, are working on a new diagnostic tool using MRI scans to help identify prostate cancer without the need for invasive examinations and more accurately than a blood test.
Known as a 'Prostagram', researchers hope this can be part of an effective screening method for prostate cancer, helping to detect it earlier and leading to better treatment outcomes. Participants who are recruited to the study have scans, blood tests and, in some cases, a biopsy, to help researchers better understand how the MRI imaging could be used for wider screening.
In this video, consultant urologist and Prostagram study lead, Professor Hashim Ahmed, takes us through the potential positive impact of the work and Heather Bhola-Stewart, advanced nurse practitioner, provides an insight on what happens during the study.
We also speak to Mark Jenkins, a participant in the Prostagram study, who tells us how taking part in the trials impacted his own life.
The Prostagram study has also been supported by:
Wellcome Trust
BMA Foundation
The Urology Foundation
Royal College of Surgeons, England
Want to see more? Follow us on social media!
facebook.com/ImperialNHS
instagram.com/imperialnhs/
twitter.com/ImperialNHS
#MedicalResearch #ReasearchInFocus
