NEWPROMRI-PATHWAY - A New Prostate Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) Pathway

Prostate cancer is one of the most common cancers affecting men around the world. To help doctors diagnose and manage this condition, MRI scans are becoming a really important tool. However, there's a big problem: there aren't enough highly specialised doctors, called radiologists, who are experts at reviewing these prostate scans and making decisions.

This shortage often leads to difficulties. For example, to be extra safe, almost every patient currently gets an injection of a special dye called gadolinium contrast during their MRI scan. Also, patients sometimes need to go for several imaging appointments, which can be inconvenient and cause anxiety. These practices can make the process less efficient and sometimes impact how well and how quickly patients get the care they need.

This study explores a new approach. It wants to see if we can use the knowledge of expert radiologists and combine it with a computer system to help radiographers – the skilled healthcare professionals who operate the MRI machines – to start playing a bigger role in reviewing scans. The goal is to make the MRI pathway for prostate cancer more streamlined and efficient, potentially leading to better and faster diagnoses without unnecessary steps for patients.