SMART TARGET (Biopsy Study)
Research type
Research Study
Full title
SmartTarget – a Magnetic Resonance Image to Ultrasound Fusion System for Targeted Prostate Intervention: Biopsy
IRAS ID
134322
Contact name
Mark Emberton
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University College London
Research summary
Early prostate cancer is managed without knowing where the cancer is within the prostate. This leads to some important cancers being missed and many unimportant cancers being detected. To compensate, all treatments are directed to the prostate – not the cancer. Resulting in side-effects because of damage to surrounding tissue, incontinence of urine, erectile dysfunction, back-passage bleeding, diarrhoea or discomfort.
If surgeons are provided with information on the location of the cancer, prostate cancer care will be transformed. Imaging, can detect the prostate cancers that are harmful. The challenge lies in superimposing the image information to the surgeon at the time of biopsy and treatment. This study aims to find out whether “SmartTarget” technology can do this.
SmartTarget is computer software that has been developed by the Centre for Medical Image Computing at University College London to enable targeted prostate biopsies. It uses information generated from images (size, shape, disease location) to create a 3D model of the prostate. This model is mapped onto the ultrasound images of the prostate at the time of biopsy to direct surgeons to target areas that were suspicious for cancer. It will allow the cancer to be “seen? on the ultrasound.
Theoretically, this allows qualified surgeons to carry out fewer biopsies, confident that they are “hitting” the intended area – “target”. This potentially leads to fewer side effects for the patient, shorter procedure times, fewer pathology specimens, and ultimately less cost to the NHS.
This trial is designed to compare the disease information obtained from targeted biopsies directed using SmartTarget and those directed without SmartTarget.
REC name
London - Dulwich Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
14/LO/0830
Date of REC Opinion
22 Aug 2014
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion