The American Cancer Society predicted that there would be 30,000 deaths from prostate cancer in 1990. If detected while still confined to the prostate gland the disease is frequently curable, and improved techniques for early detection and staging may lead to a more definitive and earlier diagnosis, with a concomitant improvement in patient outcome. Transrectal ultrasound (TRUS) imaging is often performed on patients with suspected prostatic disease. Recently, it has been found that magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is more accurate than TRUS in staging prostate cancer. Unfortunately, the cost of an exam using a general-purpose whole-body MR imaging device is extremely high (about $1,000). A magnetic and mechanical design for a permanent magnet for MR imaging of the prostate will be developed. The design goals emphasize a magnet geometry and field profile tailored to the application, with a materials and manufacturing cost appropriate for the anticipated market. It is expected that such a special-purpose prostate scanner would provide a much lower-priced alternative to a whole-body MR imaging unit, and therefore would help meet the challenge of reducing the nation's health care cost.Awardee's statement of the potential commercial applications of the research:It has been demonstrated that MR imaging may be superior to transrectal ultrasound for staging prostate cancer. Using general-purpose MR systems, however, the study cost is extremely high. The research has a long-term goal of developing a much lower cost MR device, dedicated to prostate imaging. It is anticipated that cost containment pressures, among other things, will create a large market for this product.National Cancer Institute (NCI)
