Video
Advances in Imaging in Prostate Cancer
Author(s):
Reactions to advances in the quality and safety of newer imaging tests used in prostate cancer.
Kristie Kahl: To help bring everything together, what do you see as the trends in imaging for men’s health?
Brad Schwartz, DO, FACS: Things keep getting better. They keep getting smaller. It is important to keep the footprints in the operating room small and to maintain room in the operating room. The image quality, with the advanced technology of imaging and optics, is becoming quite incredible. Patient safety is paramount, so we need to decrease the risk of radiation exposure to patients; anything we can do to lower radiation doses while maintaining the high quality of the imaging is crucial. Artificial intelligence [AI] might be a key component in the future. Planning—preoperative planning—might be an exciting area to track developments. The overall push toward better and keener technology is exciting. Also important is more safety introductions, more safety education, to be put in place for patients and the staff. All those things are exciting and are part of current trends.
Kristie Kahl: Can you share your thoughts on the potential impact on image quality as it relates to patients with prostate cancer?
Brad Schwartz, DO, FACS: I do not treat a lot of patients with prostate cancer. I am not really sure what is coming down the line in regard to that, to be truthful with you. The area of prostate cancer is a moving target and a very hot topic in reference to technological breakthroughs. As I said, AI is really going to have a huge role in our treatments in the future. I know technology is being developed to better diagnose prostate cancer, improve grading, and provide better information in regard to how serious that prostate cancer is. It will be a huge breakthrough for those people who do treat it.
Transcript edited for clarity.
