Possible use of transrectal power Doppler imaging as an indicator of microvascular density of prostate cancer

Objectives. To reveal the possible use of transrectal power Doppler imaging (PDI) of the prostate in the assessment of the microvascular density (MVD) of cancer lesions. Methods. In 22 patients with clinically organ-confined prostate cancer, PDI was performed before radical prostatectomy and the degree of vascularity o f the cancer lesions as evaluated by PDI was compared with the MVD determin ed on the surgical specimens. The vascularity by PDI of each cancer lesion was graded on a scale of DS0 to DS2, according to the degree of Doppler sig nal accumulation. MVD was obtained using factor VIII immunohistochemistry. Results. The vascularity of the PDI of 46 cancer lesions categorized 23 (50 %), 10 (22%), and 13 (28%) cancer lesions as DS0, DS1, and DS2, respectivel y, Significant differences were found in the MVD between DS0 (46.6 +/- 26.8 ) and DS2 (89.0 +/- 18.1, P <0.005) lesions and between DS1 (50.9 +/- 25.4) and DS2 (P <0.001) lesions. The MVD of 30 cancer lesions in 13 patients wi thout neoadjuvant therapy was significantly higher than that of the 16 lesi ons in 9 patients with therapy (70.2 +/- 28.2 versus 39.5 +/- 23.9, P <0.00 1). In the 13 patients without neoadjuvant therapy, the MVD of the DS2 lesi ons (89.1 +/- 18.9) was significantly higher than that of the DS0 lesions ( 59.3 +/- 32.5, P <0.01) and DSI lesions (55.9 +/- 20.9, P <0.005). Conclusions. The semi quantitative assessment of Doppler flow signals using PDI appears to be of clinical value as an indicator of MVD. (C) 2001, Else vier Science Inc.