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The following is a summary of “Application of mean maximum Young’s modulus value as a new parameter for differential diagnosis of prostate diseases,” published in the January 2025 issue of Scientific Reports by Huang et al.
Transrectal shear wave elastography (T-SWE) is a non-invasive tool for diagnosing prostate cancer (PCa) and benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Prostate tissue is characterized by an ellipsoidal sphere model with viscoelastic properties.
Researchers conducted a retrospective study to evaluate the mean maximum Young’s modulus value (m-Emax) of the prostate in diagnosing PCa and BPH.
They included 144 suspected prostate disease patients who completed T-SWE at the hospital. The mean m-Emax was obtained by calculating the mean of 12 measured m-Emax from the four quadrants of the prostate.
The results showed that m-Emax was statistically correlated with and discriminated well between PCa and BPH. A nonlinear dose-response relationship was observed between m-Emax and PCa risk, as well as between m-Emax and BPH risk. The relationship between m-Emax and prostate disease followed the nonlinear effect of tissues in normal physiological activity areas. As stiffness increased, the stress-strain relationship approximated linear.
Investigators concluded that m-Emax could be used as an innovative parameter representing the stiffness of prostate tissue in T-SWE. It showed a good effect in the differential diagnosis of prostate diseases.
Source: nature.com/articles/s41598-025-88263-2
