Ultrasonography in prostate cancer: current roles and potential applications in radiorecurrent disease

The use of ultrasound technology for prostate cancer imaging has evolved over many years. In order to fully appreciate today's application of prostate ultrasound in the primary diagnostic setting as well as for radiorecurrent prostate cancer, it is helpful to understand the progression of this technology from its inception. This review begins with a brief history of the development of ultrasonography for the prostate. This is followed by a summary of the data evaluating ultrasound in the primary diagnosis of prostate cancer. Its application in the post-treatment setting is then addressed. Finally, several emerging technologies are discussed, including contrast-enhanced ultrasound, elastography and HistoScanning. These new modalities may hold promise for identifying incompletely ablated prostate tissue following radiation therapy or other ablative techniques.