Trial Set of Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound Imaging for Prostate Cancer Detection

Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia is planning to conduct a clinical trial of contrast-enhanced ultrasound imaging as an alternative for detection of prostate cancer.

The trial, funded by the U.S. Department of Defense, will involve 300 adult men with suspected prostate cancer.

All patients will receive an intravenous infusion of the contrast agent Imavist (AF0150) to achieve prolonged contrast enhancement of the prostate. Transrectal ultrasound imaging pre- and post-infusion of Imavist will be compared, and all patients will undergo a sextant biopsy.

Researchers said that to test the hypothesis that contrast-enhanced imaging can reduce the cost of cancer detection, the per-cancer cost of tumor detection using contrast-enhanced ultrasound imaging will be compared to the cost of tumor detection based on the current standard screening approach using digital rectal examination or serum Prostate Specific Angigen (PSA) levels.

""Contrast-enhanced ultrasound imaging provides a unique opportunity to visualize the microvasculature, detect the presence of cancer and metastases, and assess the stage of disease and disease-specific survival," said Dr. Ethan Halpern, Associate Professor, Department of Radiology at Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University.

"The potential benefit of this study would be the development of an improved non-invasive diagnostic test to detect prostate cancer," he added.

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