Julia Caranci

Alberni Valley Times
November 23, 2007

A local doctor is spearheading new technology that could aid in diagnosing prostate cancer in a less invasive and more accurate way.

Port Alberni's own Dr. Zeid Mohamedali will be one of a group of specialists overseeing clinical trials of the new technology next year.

Mohamedali is an urologist who treats serious medical conditions such as bladder and prostate cancers.

The latter affects one in every seven men -- it is vital that men get regular
examinations that test for the presence of cancer in the prostate.

Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed non-skin cancers in North America and the third most common cause of cancer deaths in men.

Every year an estimated 250,000 new cases of prostate cancer are diagnosed in North America, and more than 30,000 men die from the disease.

Currently, the two main methods urologists use to detect prostate cancer are rectal exams, which pick up 30 to 35 per cent of cancers, and PSA blood tests, which pick up 55 to 60 per cent, explained Mohamedali.

Current prostate cancer screening tests are plagued by false negatives and
inconclusive positives, and often result in the uncertain circumstance known as watchful waiting.

"There's a gap in there -- we are no where close to 100 per cent," he said, adding that by using a new type of sensor, it may be possible to vastly improve the rate at which this potentially deadly disease is detected.

The technology, which is being developed by Urodynamix Technologies Ltd, uses a pulse oximeter (a medical device that measures the oxygen saturation in blood), modified to measure blood flow in various parts of the prostate. Preliminary studies Mohamedali has performed on 10 patients -- both those who have and do not have prostate cancer -- examined the evaluation of blood flow in the prostate gland.

The local physician surmised that areas where cancer is present would have increased blood flow.

Thus far, the studies confirm that the prototype -- a near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) -- prostate sensor was able to measure blood flow as predicted, which Mohamedali said could increase physicians' ability to pick up more cancers at an earlier stage.

Early detection saves lives and can potentially reduce the quantity and/or improve the accuracy of biopsies.

The device could also determine with greater accuracy where cancer is located within the prostate, allowing doctors to deliver more targeted local treatments such as drugs, radiation seeds or probes that deliver energy to destroy cancer cells. With these preliminary encouraging results, Mohamedali is getting the prototype machine modified and preparing to begin trials in Vancouver and three centres in the US early next year.

"We should have the data in six months or so," Mohamedali said, adding after compiling the results he will have a better idea of how well the technology works and its affect on doctors' ability to diagnose prostate cancer.