Negative Prostate MRI Does Not Always Rule Out Significant Cancer

False-negative multiparametric MRI (mpMRI) findings can delay the diagnosis of clinically significant prostate cancer (csPCa). A retrospective study published in the Journal of Urology examined clinical and radiologist-related factors associated with false-negative mpMRI results. Methods Researchers retrospectively analyzed data from 6,679 patients who underwent prostate mpMRI followed by prostate biopsy within 1 year. Clinically significant prostate cancer was defined as Gleason Grade Group ≥2, while a positive mpMRI was defined as Prostate Imaging Reporting and Data System (PI-RADS) score ≥3.

A sensitivity analysis evaluated patients who initially deferred biopsy after a negative mpMRI. Key findings Of the study population, 663 patients had true-negative results, 133 had false-negative results, and 2,993 had true-positive findings. Compared with true-negative cases, false-negative…