Feasibility of 3T dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance-guided biopsy in localizing local recurrence of prostate cancer after external beam radiation therapy

The objective of this study was to assess the feasibility of the combination of magnetic resonance (MR)-guided biopsy (MRGB) and diagnostic 3T MR imaging in the localization of local recurrence of prostate cancer (PCa) after external beam radiation therapy (EBRT).Twenty-four consecutive men with biochemical failure suspected of local recurrence after initial EBRT were enrolled prospectively in this study. All patients underwent a diagnostic 3T MR examination of the prostate. T2-weighted and dynamic contrast-enhanced MR images (DCE-MRI) were acquired. Two radiologists evaluated the MR images in consensus for tumor suspicious regions (TSRs) for local recurrence. Subsequently, these TSRs were biopsied under MR-guidance and histopathologically evaluated for the presence of recurrent PCa. Descriptive statistical analysis was applied.Tissue sampling was successful in all patients and all TSRs. The positive predictive value on a per patient basis was 75\% (15/20) and on a per TSR basis 68\% (26/38). The median number of biopsies taken per patient was 3, and the duration of an MRGB session was 31 minutes. No intervention-related complications occurred.The combination of MRGB and diagnostic MR imaging of the prostate was a feasible technique to localize PCa recurrence after EBRT using a low number of cores in a clinically acceptable time.