Blogger: Siver Moestue
During last years “Movember” – an annual month-long event involving the growing of moustaches during the month of November to raise awareness of prostate cancer – the Movember Foundation and associated charities raised 839 million NOK worldwide.
As a result, the Norwegian Cancer Society (Movember’s collaborator in Norway) distributed NOK 3.6 mill to research on prostate cancer in Norway. One of the two projects receiving support is a project led by Prof. Tone Frost Bathen (MR Cancer Group, ISB) and Prof. Anders Angelsen (Dept. of Surgery, St. Olavs Hospital and NTNU). The project is entitled “PET/MR imaging for improved diagnosis and personalized treatment in prostate cancer”.
.. we are highly grateful for the support from the Movember Foundation and all those who contribute by growing a moustache or make a donation to somebody who did.
This funding (NOK 1.2 mill) will be used to conduct a clinical trial in patients with suspected recurrence after prostate cancer surgery. This is a 
patient group where rapid and accurate diagnostic procedures are needed to improve the outcome of the disease.
In collaboration with the Dept. of Radiology at St. Olavs Hospital, we will compare the diagnostic performance of PET/MR imaging with that of the current diagnostic procedures (CT + bone scintigraphy). A novel radiotracer, 18FACBC, will be used as its pharmacokinetic profile is suitable for imaging of the pelvic area.
Using PET/MR as a “one-stop-shop” can potentially simplify patient logistics, thereby shortening the time needed for re-staging the disease.
In addition, this tracer can also detect skeletal metastases, and we can therefore compare the sensitivity of PET/MR imaging to that of bone scintigraphy. Our hypothesis is that PET/MR imaging both can provide more accurate clinical information and reduce the number of different examinations the patients need to go through. Using PET/MR as a “one-stop-shop” can potentially simplify patient logistics, thereby shortening the time needed for re-staging the disease.
The project team believes that the multidisciplinary approach and the use of new technology will contribute to improved health services for prostate cancer patients, and we are highly grateful for the support from the Movember Foundation and all those who contribute by growing a moustache or make a donation to somebody who did. For more information on the study, contact Prof. Tone F. Bathen or Prof. Anders Angelsen.