A propensity score matched analysis of the effects of African American race on the characteristics of regions of interests detected by magnetic resonance imaging of the prostate

Investigating MRI-Associated Biological Aspects of Racial Disparities in Prostate Cancer for African American and White Men

BACKGROUND

Understanding the characteristics of multiparametric MRI (mpMRI) in patients from different racial/ethnic backgrounds is important for reducing the observed gaps in clinical outcomes.

PURPOSE

To investigate the diagnostic performance of mpMRI and quantitative MRI parameters of prostate cancer (PCa) in African American (AA) and matched White (W) men.

STUDY TYPE

Retrospective.

SUBJECTS

One hundred twenty-nine patients (43 AA, 86 W) with histologically proven PCa who underwent mpMRI before radical prostatectomy.

FIELD STRENGTH/SEQUENCE

3.0 T, T2-weighted turbo spin echo imaging, a single-shot spin-echo EPI sequence diffusion-weighted imaging, and a gradient echo sequence dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI with an ultrafast 3D spoiled gradient-echo sequence.

ASSESSMENT

The diagnostic performance of mpMRI in AA and W men was assessed using detection rates (DRs) and positive predictive values (PPVs) in zones defined by the PI-RADS v2.1 prostate sector map. Quantitative MRI parameters, including Ktrans and ve of clinically significant (cs) PCa (Gleason score ≥ 7) tumors were compared between AA and W sub-cohorts after matching age, prostate-specific antigen (PSA), and prostate volume.

STATISTICAL TESTS

Weighted Pearson's chi-square and Mann-Whitney U tests with a statistically significant level of 0.05 were used to examine differences in DR and PPV and to compare parameters between AA and matched W men, respectively.

RESULTS

A total number of 264 PCa lesions were identified in the study cohort. The PPVs in the peripheral zone (PZ) and posterior prostate of mpMRI for csPCa lesions were significantly higher in AA men than in matched W men (87.8% vs. 68.1% in PZ, and 89.3% vs. 69.6% in posterior prostate). The Ktrans of index csPCa lesions in AA men was significantly higher than in W men (0.25 ± 0.12 vs. 0.20 ± 0.08 min-1; P < 0.01).

DATA CONCLUSION

This study demonstrated race-related differences in the diagnostic performances and quantitative MRI measures of csPCa that were not reflected in age, PSA, and prostate volume.

EVIDENCE LEVEL

3 TECHNICAL EFFICACY: Stage 2.

Quantitative assessment of background parenchymal enhancement is associated with lifetime breast cancer risk in screening MRI

OBJECTIVES

To compare the quantitative background parenchymal enhancement (BPE) in women with different lifetime risks and BRCA mutation status of breast cancer using screening MRI.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This study included screening MRI of 535 women divided into three groups based on lifetime risk: nonhigh-risk women, high-risk women without BRCA mutation, and BRCA1/2 mutation carriers. Six quantitative BPE measurements, including percent enhancement (PE) and signal enhancement ratio (SER), were calculated on DCE-MRI after segmentation of the whole breast and fibroglandular tissue (FGT). The associations between lifetime risk factors and BPE were analyzed via linear regression analysis. We adjusted for risk factors influencing BPE using propensity score matching (PSM) and compared the BPE between different groups. A two-sided Mann-Whitney U-test was used to compare the BPE with a threshold of 0.1 for multiple testing issue-adjusted p values.

RESULTS

Age, BMI, menopausal status, and FGT level were significantly correlated with quantitative BPE based on the univariate and multivariable linear regression analyses. After adjusting for age, BMI, menopausal status, hormonal treatment history, and FGT level using PSM, significant differences were observed between high-risk non-BRCA and BRCA groups in PEFGT (11.5 vs. 8.0%, adjusted p = 0.018) and SERFGT (7.2 vs. 9.3%, adjusted p = 0.066).

CONCLUSION

Quantitative BPE varies in women with different lifetime breast cancer risks and BRCA mutation status. These differences may be due to the influence of multiple lifetime risk factors. Quantitative BPE differences remained between groups with and without BRCA mutations after adjusting for known risk factors associated with BPE.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE STATEMENT

BRCA germline mutations may be associated with quantitative background parenchymal enhancement, excluding the effects of known confounding factors. This finding can provide potential insights into the cancer pathophysiological mechanisms behind lifetime risk models.

KEY POINTS

Expanding understanding of breast cancer pathophysiology allows for improved risk stratification and optimized screening protocols. Quantitative BPE is significantly associated with lifetime risk factors and differs between BRCA mutation carriers and noncarriers. This research offers a possible understanding of the physiological mechanisms underlying quantitative BPE and BRCA germline mutations.

A Systematic Review for Health Disparities and Inequities in Multiparametric Magnetic Resonance Imaging for Prostate Cancer Diagnosis

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES

Multi-parametric Magnetic Resonance Imaging (mpMRI) is a novel procedure recommended by the American Urological Association for Prostate Cancer (PCa) diagnosis. In radiology, differences in utilization of expensive screening techniques are described but never reviewed for mpMRI. Thus, our article aims at summarizing disparities relating to the expensive yet revolutionary mpMRI in United States men with PCa while highlighting needed research areas.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Eligible articles were gathered via PubMed query, referred publications known to the authors or from the reference lists of the identified publications. We excluded studies that didn't specifically evaluate mpMRI technique, weren't conducted in the United States, or didn't directly assess the relationship between disparities and mpMRI. No date restrictions were applied, resulting articles were published through 2020.

RESULTS

Out of 80 publications, 17 were selected. Two unique themes were identified: 1) disparities in mpMRI utilization, and 2) performance. While demographic factors such as race, age and socioeconomic status played a significant role in utilization, mpMRI demonstrated equal and sometimes superior performance in AAs.

CONCLUSION

Our findings illustrate the importance of disparity awareness in PCa mpMRI and highlight the need to examine additional mpMRI disparities across other races and social determinants. A new area of inequity in PCa was theoretically illustrated, as lower utilization of mpMRI was detected in a group that could potentially benefit from it the most. Major limitation was the selected search terms. Our review is unique as disparities related to mpMRI were found to be multilayered, affecting utilization and performance. Continued research is needed to discover additional areas in efforts to reduce disparity gaps related to mpMRI and PCa.

Systematic review and meta-analysis comparing cognitive vs. image-guided fusion prostate biopsy for the detection of prostate cancer

OBJECTIVE

To perform a systematic review and meta-analysis comparing overall prostate cancer detection rate and clinically-significant prostate cancer detection rate between MRI-ultrasound image guided fusion biopsy (MRI-US FB) and cognitive biopsy (CB).

METHODS

A systematic review of Pubmed, EMBASE, MEDLINE, and Cochrane library databases was performed. Identified studies were assessed for clinical relevance and excluded based on a set of predefined criteria. Final articles included in the analysis comprised only prospective trials that compared CB vs. MRI-US FB in men with MRI-identifiable lesions (Prostate Imaging Reporting and Data System score 2+). Articles were reviewed for patient demographics, MRI protocol, and rates of overall and clinically significant prostate cancer detection by both modalities.

RESULTS

Nine studies were analyzed. A composite 1,714 men with mean age 64.6 years and mean PSA 8.2 ng/dL were reviewed. When comparing FB to CB, the odds ratio for overall and for clinically significant prostate cancer detection was 1.11 (95%CI 0.91-1.36, P = 0.30) and 1.13 (95%CI 0.89-1.44, P = 0.32), respectively. Heterogeneity among the studies was moderate but not significant for either overall (X² = 14.67; I² = 45%; P = 0.07) or clinically significant prostate cancer detection (X² = 11.81; I² = 49%; P = 0.07).

CONCLUSION

MRI-US FB demonstrates a trend toward improved rates of prostate cancer detection compared to CB, although this is not statistically significant. Further comparative studies may help to further elucidate whether one of these modalities is superior over the other.