NCI Seeks Noninvasive Imaging Technology for Prostate Cancer

BETHESDA, Md —The National Cancer Institute plans to spend $13.6 million over the next 4 years to fund industry/academic collaborations aimed at developing noninvasive imaging technologies for diagnosing and treating prostate cancer. The Institute hopes the new initiative will bring academic institutions and companies together to pursue image-guided therapy techniques. Image-guided therapy couples images obtained either before or during surgery with computers, sensors, and other devices to help guide more accurate treatments.

The plan envisions the development of novel ways to measure the biologic characteristics and local extent of prostate cancer; improve image-guided biopsy and staging; identify aggressive tumors by metabolic and other methods; and improve navigation and control of image-guided therapy.