Structured micro-ultrasonography training improves prostate cancer detection and management decisions

Area of Science:

• Medical imaging
• Urology
• Diagnostic performance

Background:

• Micro-ultrasonography (microUS) is an emerging tool for prostate cancer detection.
• Novice readers require standardized training to effectively utilize microUS for clinically significant prostate cancer (csPCa) detection.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the impact of a structured 2-day microUS training curriculum on the diagnostic performance and management decisions of novice readers for csPCa detection.

Main Methods:

• Twenty participants with limited microUS experience underwent a 2-day training curriculum.
• Performance was evaluated on 100 biopsy-confirmed cases (50 csPCa, 50 negative) before and after training.
• Key metrics included accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, AUC, and management recommendations.

Main Results:

• Training significantly improved cohort-level accuracy (50.5% to 64.5%) and sensitivity (70.0% to 92.0%).
• Area under the ROC curve (AUC) increased from 0.53 to 0.70 (P=0.002).
• Decision correctness improved from 67% to 83% (P=0.001).

Conclusions:

• Structured, image-based microUS training demonstrably enhances diagnostic performance and management decisions in novice readers.
• These findings underscore the necessity of structured training and quality assurance for the clinical adoption of microUS.