(Press-News.org) 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.
The PRIME trial, funded by the John Black Charitable Foundation and Prostate Cancer UK, and published in JAMA, confirms that a two-part MRI scan is just as effective at diagnosing prostate cancer, whilst cutting scan time to just 15-20 minutes and reducing the need for a doctor to be present.
The investigators say the results are likely to lead to changes in clinical practice, making MRI accessible to more men in the UK and beyond.
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men, with around 56,000 diagnoses and 12,000 deaths each year in the UK1. The introduction of MRI scans over the last decade, following work by UCL researchers, has been the biggest change in how prostate cancer is diagnosed for the past 30 years.
Abnormalities seen on the MRI scan allow targeted tissue biopsies to be taken that can improve cancer detection. A normal MRI result, which occurs in around a third of patients, is reassuring and allows men to avoid an unnecessary biopsy.
Despite the clear benefits of the MRI scan, in many healthcare settings around the world, men who need a scan still do not get one. For example, previous research has estimated that 35% of US prostate cancer patients received an MRI in 2022. In England and Wales, only 62% of men who needed a prostate MRI received one in 2019 (the most recent year for when data is available2).
Associate Professor Veeru Kasivisvanathan, lead researcher and Chief Investigator on the trial from UCL Surgery & Interventional Science and UCLH, said: “Currently around four million MRI scans are needed each year globally to diagnose prostate cancer. This demand is set to rise rapidly with a predicted surge in prostate cancer cases over the next 20 years.
“Time, cost and staff availability are all limiting factors in how many scans can be offered, which makes the results of the PRIME trial particularly important. If we can do the scan in up to half the time, with fewer staff and at lower cost, that will make a huge difference in allowing every man who needs a scan to be able to get one in a timely fashion.”
In the study, cancer specialists from 22 hospitals in 12 countries across the world recruited 555 patients aged 59-70 to see whether a streamlined two-part ‘biparametric’ MRI could detect cancer at the same rate as a full three-part ‘multiparametric’ MRI, which is currently standard of care in the UK and includes a third stage where a dye is injected into the patient.
All patients underwent the full three-part scan. Radiologists then assessed the two-part scan without the dye, and separately assessed the three-part scan with the dye, for every patient. A prostate biopsy was done when required to confirm whether or not the diagnosis was correct.
Researchers from UCL and UCLH confirmed that the two-part scan was just as effective at diagnosing prostate cancer. In total, 29% of the patients had important prostate cancer diagnosed by the shorter two-part scan, the same percentage as the longer three-part scan.
Associate Professor Francesco Giganti, a lead radiologist on the trial from UCL Surgery & Interventional Science and UCLH, said: “The three-part multiparametric MRI scan has been a game-changer for the diagnosis of prostate cancer, sparing thousands of patients unnecessary biopsies and improving cancer detection.
“Currently we inject a dye into the patient that highlights the presence of cancer on the MRI scan, but this step requires time and the presence of a clinician, and can on rare occasion cause mild side effects.
“Being able to make accurate diagnoses without the contrast stage will reduce scan time meaning we can offer scans to more men using the same number of scanners and operators. However, it is vital that the scans are of optimal diagnostic quality and that they are interpreted by a radiologist with dedicated expertise in prostate MRI.”
As well as making the procedure more efficient in terms of time and personnel, a two-stage MRI would generate significant cost savings per scan. In the NHS currently, a three-phase MRI scan costs £273 on average3. At £145, a two-phase scan is 47% cheaper. In countries like the US where healthcare costs tend to be much higher, the savings are likely to be even greater.
Prostate Cancer UK’s TRANSFORM trial, the biggest prostate cancer screening trial for 20 years that will include MRI, is due to begin later this year. It will be jointly led by UCL researchers alongside collaborators from Imperial College London, The Institute of Cancer Research and Queen Mary University of London. The trial will find the best way to screen men for prostate cancer, achieving the evidence needed for the introduction of a national screening programme. The results of the PRIME trial are an important step towards realising this ambition.
Dr Matthew Hobbs, Director of Research at Prostate Cancer UK, said: “The results from the PRIME trial, showing that a faster, cheaper, type of prostate MRI is just as good as the current standard MRI at detecting prostate cancer, are a hugely important step in the right direction for making MRIs more efficient.
“Another trial is already happening in the UK and the results of the two trials together should provide the complete evidence package we need to change practice across the country. We encourage NICE to prepare to review their guidelines as soon as that evidence base is complete, so that we can make MRI quicker, cheaper and less onerous for men.
"Our funding for PRIME, alongside the John Black Charitable Foundation, also provided recommendations of a few simple ways for hospitals to improve scan quality. So, while we await a review by NICE, hospitals should use guidelines from UCL's GLIMPSE trial, so that they are ready for the implementation of biparametric MRI if it's recommended, and so that the men having MRI scans right now get the most accurate scan possible.”
The PRIME study also received funding from the European Association of Urology Research Foundation and the Wolfgang Dieckmann Foundation.
Notes to Editors:
For more information, please contact:
Dr Matt Midgley, UCL Media Relations
+44 (0)20 7679 9064
m.midgley@ucl.ac.uk
1 Prostate Cancer UK has more information on prostate cancer.
2 https://www.npca.org.uk/reports/npca-annual-report-2019/
3 https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/2019-20-national-cost-collection-data-publication/
Publication:
Alexander Ng & Aqua Asif et al. ‘Biparametric versus multiparametric MRI for prostate cancer diagnosis: The PRIME Diagnostic Clinical Trial’ is published in JAMA and is strictly embargoed until Wednesday 10 September at 16:00 BST / 11:00 ET.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2025.13722
About UCL – London’s Global University
UCL is a diverse global community of world-class academics, students, industry links, external partners, and alumni. Our powerful collective of individuals and institutions work together to explore new possibilities.
Since 1826, we have championed independent thought by attracting and nurturing the world's best minds. Our community of more than 50,000 students from 150 countries and over 16,000 staff pursues academic excellence, breaks boundaries and makes a positive impact on real world problems.
The Times and Sunday Times University of the Year 2024, we are consistently ranked among the top 10 universities in the world and are one of only a handful of institutions rated as having the strongest academic reputation and the broadest research impact.
We have a progressive and integrated approach to our teaching and research – championing innovation, creativity and cross-disciplinary working. We teach our students how to think, not what to think, and see them as partners, collaborators and contributors.
For almost 200 years, we are proud to have opened higher education to students from a wide range of backgrounds and to change the way we create and share knowledge.
We were the first in England to welcome women to university education and that courageous attitude and disruptive spirit is still alive today. We are UCL.
www.ucl.ac.uk | Follow @uclnews on Twitter | Read news at www.ucl.ac.uk/news/ | Listen to UCL podcasts on SoundCloud | View images on Flickr | Find out what’s on at UCL Minds
END
Millions of men could benefit from faster scan to diagnose prostate cancer
2025-09-10
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Simulations solve centuries-old cosmic mystery – and discover new class of ancient star systems
2025-09-10
Strict embargo: not for publication or external distribution until 10 September 2025 at 16:00 (London time), 10 September 2025 at 11:00 (US Eastern Time)
For centuries, astronomers have puzzled over the origins of one of the universe’s oldest and densest stellar systems, known as globular clusters. Now, a University of Surrey-led study published in Nature has finally solved the mystery using detailed simulations – while also uncovering a new class of object that could already be in our own galaxy.
Globular ...
MIT study explains how a rare gene variant contributes to Alzheimer’s disease
2025-09-10
CAMBRIDGE, MA -- A new study from MIT neuroscientists reveals how rare variants of a gene called ABCA7 may contribute to the development of Alzheimer’s in some of the people who carry it.
Dysfunctional versions of the ABCA7 gene, which are found in a very small proportion of the population, contribute strongly to Alzheimer’s risk. In the new study, the researchers discovered that these mutations can disrupt the metabolism of lipids that play an important role in cell membranes.
This disruption makes neurons hyperexcitable and ...
Race, ethnicity, insurance payer, and pediatric cardiac arrest survival
2025-09-10
About The Study: In this retrospective cohort study of pediatric in-hospital cardiac arrest in a large, national, administrative dataset, children of racial and ethnic minority groups receiving cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) had higher odds of in-hospital mortality. In addition, the odds of in-hospital mortality among children receiving CPR were higher at hospitals with the highest proportion of Black patients.
Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Amanda J. O’Halloran, MD, MSHP, email ohallorana@chop.edu.
To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this ...
High-intensity exercise and hippocampal integrity in adults with cannabis use disorder
2025-09-10
About The Study: This trial found that a 12-week high-intensity interval training intervention did not improve hippocampal integrity or associated cognitive or mental health impairments while people continued to consume cannabis. However, results indicated that people with cannabis use disorder can engage in regular physical exercise programs and highlighted exercise as a potential strategy to reduce cannabis craving.
Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Murat Yücel, PhD, email murat.yucel@qimrb.edu.au.
To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/
(10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2025.2319)
Editor’s ...
“Brain dial” for consumption found in mice
2025-09-10
NEW YORK — It’s natural to crave sugar when you feel tired and want a boost of energy. Now scientists at Columbia University’s Zuckerman Institute have linked a brain area in mice to the drive to consume not just sweets, but fats, salt and food. The findings show this area serves as a kind of dial that can amplify or repress consumption.
This discovery, detailed today in Cell, may inform novel treatments for both overeating and undereating. For instance, the results suggest that finding ways to modulate this brain circuit may help treat people suffering from the severe loss of appetite and muscle wasting often seen in large numbers of chemotherapy patients.
“The ...
Lung cancer rewires immune cells in the bone marrow to weaken body’s defenses
2025-09-10
New York, NY [September 10, 2025]—Lung tumors don’t just evade the immune system. They reshape it at its source. Researchers from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and collaborators report in the September 10 online issue of Nature [10.1038/s41586-025-09493-y] that tumors rewire immune cells in the bone marrow before they even reach the cancer, suggesting a new target to enhance the durability of current immunotherapy.
Immunotherapies, which rally the body’s defenses against cancer, have transformed care for many ...
Researchers find key to Antarctic ice loss blowing in the north wind
2025-09-10
Most of the Earth’s fresh water is locked in the ice that covers Antarctica. As the ocean and atmosphere grow warmer, that ice is melting at a startling pace with sea levels and global currents changing in response. To understand the potential implications, researchers need to know just how fast the ice is disappearing, and what is driving it back.
The West Antarctic ice sheet, an unstable expanse bordering the Amundsen Sea, is one of the greatest sources of uncertainty in climate projections. Records indicate that it has been steadily shrinking since the 1940s, but key details are missing. Using environmental data gathered from ice samples, tree rings and corals, ...
Ten years after the discovery, gravitational waves verify Stephen Hawking's Black Hole Area Theorem
2025-09-10
EMBARGOED UNTIL 8AM PACIFIC TIME/11AM EASTERN TIME, SEPTEMBER 10
On September 14, 2015, a signal arrived on Earth, carrying information about a pair of remote black holes that had spiraled together and merged. The signal had traveled about 1.3 billion years to reach us at the speed of light—but it was not made of light. It was a different kind of signal: a quivering of space-time called gravitational waves, first predicted by Albert Einstein 100 years prior. On that day 10 years ago, the twin detectors of the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory ...
Researchers uncover potential biosignatures on Mars
2025-09-10
A new study co-authored by Texas A&M University geologist Dr. Michael Tice has revealed potential chemical signatures of ancient Martian microbial life in rocks examined by NASA’s Perseverance rover.
The findings, published by a large international team of scientists, focus on a region of Jezero Crater known as the Bright Angel formation — a name chosen from locations in Grand Canyon National Park because of the light-colored Martian rocks. This area in Mars’ Neretva Vallis channel contains fine-grained mudstones rich in oxidized iron (rust), phosphorus, sulfur and ...
Built to learn: how early brain structure primes the brain to learn efficiently
2025-09-10
Vision happens when patterns of light entering the eye are converted into reliable patterns of brain activity. This reliability allows the brain to recognize the same object each time it is seen. Our brains, however, are not born with this ability; instead, we develop it through visual experience. Collaborating scientists at MPFI and the Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies have recently discovered key circuit changes that lead to the maturation of reliable brain activity patterns. Their findings, published in Neuron this week, are likely generalizable beyond vision, providing a ...