Current research indicates that axial skeleton magnetic resonance imaging (AS-MRI) is more effective than traditional bone scintigraphy (BS) for identifying bone metastases in high-risk prostate cancer patients, though BS remains common.
A study reviewing 503 high-risk prostate cancer patients showed that AS-MRI detected bone metastases in 17.5% of cases, significantly differing in PSA and clinical variables compared to those without metastases.
The study suggests that AS-MRI not only performs as well as or better than BS for detection, but also offers substantial cost savings for the healthcare system, with all patients receiving scans promptly within 14 days.