New prostate cancer imaging outperforms biopsies for diagnosis

Karl Hille, The Baltimore Sun on Oct 6, 2026

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A new study by the Medical University of Vienna found that a specialized form of imaging could identify 91% of prostate cancer cases without the need for a biopsy.

Traditionally, a blood test can indicate the possibility of prostate cancer, but a diagnosis has long depended on a tissue sample through an outpatient procedure.

The imaging technique starts with a positron emission tomography (PET) scan using a small amount of a radioactive substance that binds to a tissue abundant in prostate cancer cells. This allows the cancer to be imaged precisely with a computed tomography scan.

In a study of 194 patients, the technology successfully diagnosed 70 of 77 cases of prostate cancer. The test was equally capable of identifying patients with no clinically significant tumor present.

In those without an active tumor, the test effectively predicted future tumors in 23 of 24 patients who developed prostate cancer in the 35 months following their scan.

“Our results show that [this scan] may be able to provide valuable information at a very early stage of the diagnostic work-up. The high diagnostic value of a normal result is particularly relevant here. In future, this could help to make better decisions about which patients actually require a biopsy,” study lead Marcus Hacker said in a statement.

They published their work in the new journal The Lancet Medical Imaging and Theranostics.

The test could eliminate many unnecessary biopsies, the authors wrote, but more study will be needed to integrate the test into medical treatment.

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