US EditionMillions of Men Could Benefit From Faster Scan to Diagnose Prostate Cancer
The two-part MRI scan cuts time nearly in half and reduces costs by 47% while maintaining equal accuracy in detecting prostate cancer, study finds.
- On 10 September 2025, researchers from UCL, UCLH, and the University of Birmingham published in JAMA that a two-part MRI scan diagnoses prostate cancer as effectively as the current three-part scan.
- The study emerged because three-part MRI requires contrast dye injection, longer scan time, and more clinician resources, limiting scan availability.
- The PRIME trial enrolled 555 men between the ages of 59 and 70 from multiple centers spanning a dozen countries, demonstrating that a streamlined two-part MRI, taking 15-20 minutes, identified clinically significant cancer in 29% of cases.
- Dr Matthew Hobbs of Prostate Cancer UK called the results a “hugely important step” for efficiency, noting the two-part MRI costs £145 versus £273 for the standard scan and urged NICE to review guidelines.
- These findings may make MRI accessible to more men in the UK and worldwide, support significant cost savings, and complement Prostate Cancer UK's Transform trial starting later this year to guide future screening.
23 Articles
23 Articles
The Independent
Millions could benefit from faster scan to diagnose prostate cancer – study
The scan only takes 15 to 20 minutes and could save the NHS money, researchers say.
Millions of men could benefit from faster scan to diagnose prostate cancer
A quicker, cheaper MRI scan was just as accurate at diagnosing prostate cancer as the current 30–40 minute scan and should be rolled out to make MRI scans more accessible to men who need one, according to clinical trial results led by UCL, UCLH and the University of Birmingham.
expert reaction to study comparing use of two-part MRI scan to three-part MRI scans in the diagnosis of prostate cancer
A study published in JAMA compares the use of biparametric vs multiparametric MRI for prostate cancer diagnosis. Prof Freddie Hamdy, Nuffield Professor of Surgery and Professor of Urology, University of Oxford, and Prof Jenny Donovan, Professor of Social Medicine, University of Bristol, said: “The PRIME study shows that biparametric MRI allows a rate of prostate cancer detection which is non-inferior to the conventional longer and more expens…
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