Prostate Biopsy Guidance via XRF Elemental Mapping

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current screening methods for prostate cancer, such as digital rectal examination, transrectal ultrasound, and PSA tests, lack sensitivity and specificity, leading to high false-negative rates and over-prescription of invasive biopsies, and do not provide reliable information on tumor location, size, or pathological stage.

Innovation Solution

A method and system for analyzing biopsy cores by measuring chemical element levels, generating a chemical element map of the prostate, calculating gradients, and determining additional biopsy locations to guide further biopsies, thereby improving the accuracy of prostate cancer diagnosis and treatment planning.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If transrectal ultrasound guided needle-biopsy examination is performed, then cancer detection capability is improved, but false-negative rate increases and invasive procedure over-prescription occurs

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecancer detection capabilityVSAvoidfalse-negative rate

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary chemical element mapping of the prostate using XRF imaging before conducting the biopsy procedure. This preliminary action identifies the spatial distribution of zinc and other elements, allowing the biopsy needle to be guided to high-probability cancer locations based on elemental gradients, thereby reducing false-negative rates and avoiding unnecessary biopsies in low-risk areas.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system establishes a feedback loop where chemical element measurements from initial biopsy cores are used to update the prostate elemental map in real-time. This feedback mechanism refines the gradient calculations and dynamically adjusts subsequent biopsy target locations, improving detection accuracy while reducing the number of invasive procedures needed.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

2Ease of operation

If standard screening methods are used, then diagnostic process simplicity is maintained, but information on tumor location, size, and pathological stage is lost

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvediagnostic process simplicityVSAvoidtumor location and staging information

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The XRF-based chemical element mapping system serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides cancer detection, determines tumor location through spatial elemental distribution, estimates tumor size from gradient patterns, and infers pathological stage from elemental composition ratios. This multi-functionality is integrated into a single diagnostic workflow that maintains operational simplicity while comprehensively capturing tumor characteristics.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

3Measurement precision

If chemical element mapping with gradient calculation is implemented, then biopsy location accuracy is improved, but system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvebiopsy location accuracyVSAvoidsystem complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system replaces complex mechanical navigation and manual anatomical landmark identification with an automated XRF-based chemical element mapping system. The gradient calculations and biopsy target identification are performed algorithmically based on elemental distribution patterns, substituting mechanical complexity with computational processing that simplifies the overall system operation while maintaining high localization accuracy.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

This approach enhances the detection and localization of prostate cancer, reduces false-negative rates, and provides more accurate information on tumor size and grade, leading to more effective disease management and treatment strategies.

Implementation Method 1

The proposed non-invasive method consists of local x-ray irradiation of the gland, followed by the measurement of characteristic zinc emission with a trans-rectal X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) probe

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectX-ray fluorescence: Fluorescence

Data Source

PatentUS9052319B2Method of guiding prostate biopsy location

Publication Date: 2015.06.09 PROSIGHT

AI summary

A method of analyzing a plurality of biopsy cores extracted from a plurality of respective biopsy locations in a prostate is disclosed. The method comprises: measuring a level of a chemical element in each of the biopsy cores, and generating a chemical element map of at least a portion of the prostate based on the levels and the respective biopsy locations. In some embodiments, the method determines at least one additional biopsy location for a future biopsy in the prostate.