Dr. Dahut on an NCI-Led Study Using MRI Screening to Detect Prostate Cancer

William L. Dahut, MD, senior investigator and section chief, Genitourinary Malignancies Branch, head, Prostate Cancer Clinical Research Section, clinical director and scientific director for clinical research, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute (NCI), discusses an NCI-led study that is using screening to detect prostate cancer.

The IMPACT study showed that 50% of men who had a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) of ≥3.0 ng/mL at the time of screening had prostate cancer. While men with BRCA1/2 or ATM mutations have a higher risk of developing prostate cancer, the correlation of PSA and a prostate cancer diagnosis in men with BRCA2 or other mutations is unknown, says Dahut.

In collaboration with the University of Washington, the University of Michigan, and Thomas Jefferson University, the NCI is conducting a natural history study of 500 men who have a germline abnormality that increases their risk for prostate cancer, but do not currently have a prostate cancer diagnosis. These men will undergo MRI screening of the prostate every 2 years at the NCI, says Dahut. During the off year, patients will undergo PSA testing. If an abnormality is found, investigators can use the molecular characteristics of the tumor to shed light on the patient’s prognosis, concludes Dahut.