MRI ‘can help avoid risk of nerve damage in prostate cancer surgery’

Use of preoperative MRI scans could help patients undergoing prostate cancer surgery to avoid the risk of nerve damage.

Research conducted at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California Los Angeles has revealed that MRI data could be vital in improving the safety of robotic-assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy (RALP) procedures.

Because these surgeries are conducted with the aid of a surgical robot, they offer advantages in terms of cosmetic results and blood loss reduction, but also carry the risk of accidental neurovascular damage due to the lack of tactile feedback.

However, by performing MRI scans in advance, it was shown that doctors are able to make more informed decisions about their treatment approach in terms of whether to spare or resect nerves.

Study leader Dr Daniel Margolis, assistant professor of radiology at the David Geffen School of Medicine, said: "Our surgeons feel that … MRI is worthwhile for all patients, because it identifies important information leading to a change in the surgical plan in almost a third of patients."

NHS data shows that prostate cancer is the most common cancer type among UK males, with around 36,000 new diagnoses annually.