MRI scan for prostate cancer (multi-parametric scan)
A multi-parametric MRI scan gives more detailed images of the prostate and surrounding area.
What is a multi-parametric MRI (mpMRI) scan
An MRI scan use magnetic fields to build up a detailed picture of certain areas of the body.
A multi-parametric MRI (mpMRI) scan is a specialised type of MRI scan. It gives a more detailed picture of the prostate and surrounding area than a standard MRI scan. Your doctor might recommend you have a mpMRI scan if they think you could have prostate cancer.
The scan results give the doctor more information about whether there are suspicious areas that may be cancer. They give the images of your prostate a score from 1 to 5. Doctors call this the Likert score.
If your Likert score is 3 or more, they will usually offer you a biopsy. The mpMRI scan images help the doctor target the suspicious area of the prostate for the biopsy.
If your score is under 3, you will not usually need a biopsy. Your doctor may talk to you about continuing to monitor your PSA levels. Some slow growing cancers may not show up on an mpMRI scan.
Having a mpMRI scan for prostate cancer
The scanner is a powerful magnet. You are asked to complete and sign a checklist to make sure it is safe for you. The checklist asks about any metal implants you may have, such as a pacemaker, surgical clips or bone pins.
Tell your doctor or radiographer if you have ever worked with metal or in the metal industry. Very tiny fragments of metal can sometimes lodge in the body. If you have any metal in your body, you will not usually be able to have an mpMRI scan. But if your doctor or radiographer thinks it is safe for you, they may do the scans but take extra precautions.
Before the scan, you may have an injection of dye into a vein in your arm. This is called a contrast medium. It helps the images from the scan to show up more clearly.
During the test, you lie very still on a couch inside a long tube for about 30 minutes. It is painless but can be slightly uncomfortable, and some people feel a bit claustrophobic. It is also noisy, but you will be given earplugs or headphones. You can hear and speak to the person operating the scanner.
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About our information
This information has been written, revised and edited by Macmillan Cancer Support’s Cancer Information Development team. It has been reviewed by expert medical and health professionals and people living with cancer.
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References
Below is a sample of the sources used in our prostate cancer information. If you would like more information about the sources we use, please contact us at informationproductionteam@macmillan.org.uk
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). Prostate cancer: diagnosis and management. NICE Guideline [NG131]. Published: 09 May 2019. Last updated: 15 December 2021. Available from: www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng131 [accessed March 2024].
Castro E, Fizazi K, Heidenreich A, Ost P, Parker C, Procopio G, et al. Prostate cancer: ESMO Clinical Practice Guidelines for diagnosis, treatment and follow-up. Annals of Oncology. 2020; 31(9): 1119–1134. Available from: www.annalsofoncology.org/article/S0923-7534(20)39898-7/fulltext [accessed March 2024].
Reviewer
Consultant Medical Oncologist & Honorary Associate Professor
University College Hospitals, London
Date reviewed
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