Only one third of US prostate cancer patients received pre-biopsy MRI in 2022, far below Western norms

MRI is considered the standard pre-biopsy imaging tool for prostate cancer in most western nations, yet a new analysis shows that only about a third of US cases used it in 2022.

In the United States the diagnostic pathway still relies on a PSA blood test followed by systematic biopsy when PSA is elevated. This approach detects cancer early but also finds many low-grade tumors that are unlikely to become lethal.

Because low-grade disease accounts for up to 70% of new diagnoses, many men receive unnecessary treatment. The limited use of MRI suggests US clinicians may be favoring biopsies over imaging, contrary to practices elsewhere.