Improved individualized diagnosis and treatment monitoring of prostate and breast cancer by combining new MR and ultrasound technology

This project deals with combining new methods in medical ultrasound (US) and Magnetic Resonance (MR) imaging to improve individualized diagnosis and treatment monitoring of prostate and breast cancer. The project includes further development of new techno logy and taking this technology into clinical trials for improving diagnosis and treatment monitoring targeted for individual patients. The main collaborating partners are NTNU, SINTEF, and St. Olavs Hospital, all located at the same university hospital a rea in Trondheim. An important part of the daily work for an oncologist is to decide what treatment regime should be given a specific patient. Individual treatment plans should depend on tumor biological characteristics. With multiple choices, the need f or early assessment of therapeutic response is increasing in order to optimize and to avoid redundant or excessive treatment. Medical imaging methods that not only demonstrate the anatomical outline but also functional and biological changes would give va luable information for such clinical decisions. The goal is early diagnosis and to predict tumor response to a certain therapy based on individual mapping of the tumor prior to any treatment regime has been started. To do so, advanced medical imaging is n eeded.