Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 16, 2026
A Cognitive Fusion-guided Prostate Biopsy Using Multiparametric Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Transrectal Ultrasound
Published on: March 21, 2025
Periprostatic adipose tissue imaging in prostate cancer: Imaging phenotypes, task-specific spatial strategies, and
Jinghuan Huang1, Yingying Zhang1, Ou Yang1
1The First Clinical Medical College, Gansu University of Chinese Medicine, Lanzhou, Gansu, China.
Purpose:
To appraise how periprostatic adipose tissue (PPAT) is defined, sampled, and evaluated in prostate cancer imaging, with emphasis on spatial strategy, intended clinical use, evidence maturity, and imaging-tissue correspondence.
Method:
We conducted a structured critical review with evidence mapping, supported by PubMed/MEDLINE and Web of Science searches through August 29, 2026, supplemented by prespecified Google Scholar and citation searches. Two reviewers independently screened records. Reports were mapped by imaging strategy, spatial target, clinical task, evaluation design, reproducibility, cohort overlap, and imaging-tissue correspondence.
Results:
The formal evidence set comprised 113 reports, including 63 clinical imaging reports. Strategies comprised morphometry / computed tomography (CT) attenuation (48 reports), tissue-property / compositional imaging (4), PPAT-focused radiomics (4), and interface / multicompartment modelling (7). Quantitative reproducibility was reported in 19/63 clinical reports. Only two reports underwent independent external evaluation, and neither evaluated a PPAT-only model. Biological and translational evidence supported PPAT as a heterogeneous tumour-adjacent compartment, whereas direct spatially matched imaging-tissue validation remained uncommon. Clinical evidence spanned prebiopsy risk refinement, upgrading or active-surveillance reclassification, local extension and surgical planning, prognosis, treatment-related outcomes, and nodal and metastatic assessment; most reports lacked independent evaluation.
Conclusions:
PPAT imaging is best regarded as a set of spatially defined, task-specific phenotypes rather than a single biomarker. Current evidence positions PPAT as a candidate adjunct to established clinical and intraprostatic imaging information. Clinical adoption will require reproducible definitions and measurements, task-matched assessment of incremental value, independent external evaluation, and prospective evidence of decision impact.
