WASHINGTON: Scientists have developed a new computer model that may lead to an accurate system for early detection, diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer. 

The computer model uses medical images to reproduce the growth patterns of prostate cancer on the anatomy of a patient's prostate.

This type of mathematical modelling and simulation of disease is called predictive medicine, a new trend in medical research that leads to personalised treatment and more accurate forecasting of clinical outcomes. 

"There is a lot of room for improvement in both the diagnosis and management of prostate cancer," said Professor Michael Scott from Brigham Young University in the US. 

"We are using computer modelling to capture the behaviour of prostate tumour growth which will hopefully lead to minimally invasive predictive procedures which can be used in clinical practice," said Scott.

Current diagnosis methods include invasive biopsy procedures which too often lead to patients being over-treated or under-treated. 

Complicating matters is the fact that prostate cancer can remain undiagnosed because early stages of the disease may not produce symptoms until a tumour is either very large or has invaded other tissues. 

The new system could lead to both earlier diagnosis and less invasive testing, researchers said. 

It is a promising development given prostate cancer is the second most common cancer among men worldwide, researchers said. 

"It's likely that these types of models will eventually turn up in medical practice," Scott said. 

"We are entering an age where we will see the emergence of tools which leverage computation to improve diagnosis of disease," he added. 

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