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Prostate Cancer Estimation
and Mapping Overview.

BioVantra’s Prostate Cancer Estimation and Mapping (PCEM) is a planning-oriented clinical synthesis that correlates mpMRI findings, AI-enhanced lesion analysis, biopsy and pathology, and cytomolecular data into a single report — delivered as a cancer mapping summary and clinical correlation. Its purpose is to estimate tumor size, volume, location, extent, and therapeutic margin, and to organize lesion distribution across the gland in a form that supports treatment planning and multidisciplinary review.

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Topic
Clinical overview
Service
PCEM
Audience
Urologists & clinical teams
01 · What is being estimated

Integrated approximation
of the disease.

Estimation in PCEM is not a measurement taken from any single study. It is an integrated approximation drawn together from available imaging and tissue findings. The report brings these inputs into one place so that size, volume, location, extent, and therapeutic margin can be read together.

A

Tumor size and volume

Lesion size and volume are estimated from mpMRI, AI-enhanced lesion analysis, and available pathology. The output is an integrated approximation rather than a single reported measurement.

B

Lesion location

Lesion position within the gland is described by zone and laterality, with reference to imaging landmarks and biopsy sites so locations can be discussed consistently across the care team.

C

Spatial extent

Spatial extent describes how far a lesion reaches within the gland, including extension across anatomic boundaries when visible on imaging or suggested by tissue findings.

D

Therapeutic margin

The report includes a planning-oriented approximation of therapeutic margin around identified disease — a clearance boundary intended to support focal therapy planning and related treatment discussions.

02 · What is being mapped

Structured spatial
organization of disease.

Mapping in PCEM is the structured spatial organization of disease across the gland. It is not a picture added to a report; it is a structured reading of where disease sits, how it distributes, and how those findings relate to one another — at the lesion level and across the gland as a whole.

  • A

    Lesion distribution

    Identified lesions are positioned within the gland and described in relation to one another, so distribution can be read as a structured pattern rather than a list of individual findings.

  • B

    Laterality

    Left- and right-sided involvement is characterized explicitly, supporting planning discussions where laterality is relevant to treatment selection.

  • C

    Focality

    The report describes whether findings appear unifocal or multifocal and how secondary foci relate to the dominant lesion, to the extent supported by the available inputs.

  • D

    Whole-gland disease geography

    Lesion-level findings are organized into a whole-gland view, so the dominant lesion can be read in relation to secondary foci and broader disease distribution across the gland — to the extent supported by the available imaging and tissue findings.

  • E

    A structured report, not a picture alone

    The output is a cancer mapping summary and clinical correlation — a structured written interpretation in which any visualizations serve, rather than stand in for, the synthesis.

03 · Therapeutic margin guidance

A planning-oriented
clearance boundary.

Therapeutic margin guidance is a planning-oriented boundary shown around identified disease within the report. It is intended as a reference line for focal therapy planning and broader treatment discussions — not as a rigid treatment prescription and not as a substitute for physician judgment.

A

A clearance boundary, shown in the report

The margin is drawn around estimated disease as a clearance boundary. It surfaces the planning geometry in one view instead of leaving it to be reassembled mentally from separate documents.

B

May support focal therapy planning

Where appropriate, the margin may support focal therapy planning by helping the care team reason about treatable volume and nearby anatomy in a single structured view.

C

Supports broader treatment discussions

Even when focal therapy is not the intended path, the margin provides a consistent reference during treatment planning conversations across urology, radiology, and pathology.

D

Not a prescription, not a substitute for judgment

The margin is a planning reference. It is not a rigid treatment prescription, not a definitive boundary beyond the available evidence, and not a substitute for physician judgment or established treatment pathways.

04 · Inputs and integrated interpretation

Many inputs, one
correlated reading.

PCEM draws on several established diagnostic inputs and organizes them into one correlated reading. No single input carries the case on its own; the value is in how they are interpreted together.

  • A

    mpMRI

    Multiparametric MRI findings provide the anatomic foundation — lesion visibility, PI-RADS assessment, zonal context, and relationships to capsule and surrounding structures.

  • B

    AI-enhanced lesion estimation

    AI-enhanced lesion analysis contributes quantitative estimates of lesion size, volume, and extent that can be read together with the mpMRI interpretation rather than in parallel.

  • C

    Biopsy and pathology findings

    Biopsy results and pathology anchor the map to what has actually been sampled and confirmed, supporting correlation between imaging-visible lesions and tissue-based findings.

  • D

    Cytomolecular findings when available

    When cytomolecular findings are available on the case, they are incorporated into the integrated read alongside imaging and pathology rather than left on a separate document.

  • E

    Genomic and risk tools when relevant

    Results from genomic or risk tools may be read alongside the integrated interpretation when they are already in use for the case, adding biologic or risk context to the structured synthesis.

  • F

    Structured correlation, not a data dump

    The report is built around correlation between inputs. Findings that agree, disagree, or only partially overlap are all surfaced explicitly in the written interpretation.

05 · Relationship to MRI, pathology, cytomolecular findings, and genomic/risk tools

Additive and integrative,
not a replacement.

PCEM is intended to work alongside existing diagnostic pathways. It does not replace mpMRI, biopsy, pathology, cytomolecular testing, or genomic and risk tools. Its contribution is the way these inputs are correlated and organized into a single planning-oriented reading of the case.

A

Complements mpMRI

Estimation and mapping are designed to be read alongside mpMRI, supporting correlation between imaging-visible lesions and tissue-based findings within one structured report.

B

Complements biopsy and pathology

PCEM is additive to, not a substitute for, biopsy and histopathology. It contributes a correlated, planning-oriented view to the shared clinical record rather than duplicating tissue diagnosis.

C

Incorporates cytomolecular findings

When cytomolecular findings are available on the case, they are incorporated into the integrated read so morphologic, molecular, and spatial information can be viewed as one picture.

D

Read alongside genomic and risk tools

Genomic and risk-stratification tools already in use on the case can be read alongside the integrated interpretation. PCEM is not intended to duplicate or replace them.

E

Additive, not a replacement

PCEM should be understood as a complement to the established prostate cancer diagnostic pathway, not as a substitute for any of its components and not as a substitute for physician judgment.

06 · Practical clinical value

What a referring urologist
can expect to use.

In day-to-day use, the report surfaces a short list of practical takeaways that referring urologists can read alongside the rest of the clinical picture.

  • A

    Focal therapy planning

    Estimated extent and therapeutic margin are organized so they can be referenced during focal therapy planning and related treatment conversations.

  • B

    Treatment planning

    The integrated reading supports broader treatment planning by presenting lesion estimation, mapping, and correlation with other inputs in one structured document.

  • C

    Lesion localization

    Lesion position is described in consistent anatomic terms, supporting localization during biopsy discussions, re-biopsy decisions, and treatment planning.

  • D

    Focality, laterality and disease distribution

    The mapping section makes focality and laterality explicit and, where supported by the available inputs, describes how the dominant lesion relates to secondary foci and broader disease distribution — useful when the team is weighing focal, hemi-gland, or whole-gland approaches.

  • E

    Multidisciplinary communication

    A structured synthesis gives urology, radiology, pathology, and other stakeholders a shared reference point for discussing the case.

  • F

    Clearer organization of inputs

    Imaging, tissue, cytomolecular, and risk-tool findings are organized into one document with consistent terminology, making the case easier to read and reference over time.

Downloadable PDFs

Download physician-facing PDF materials related to Prostate Cancer Estimation and Mapping.

PDF 01

Prostate Cancer Estimation and Mapping Overview

A physician-facing overview of the service, the report structure, and when to consider it.

Open PDF →
PDF 02

Curated Clinical Case and Sample Report

A curated clinical case companion followed by a sample Cancer Mapping and Therapeutic Margin Report.

Open PDF →
07 · Selected references

Selected references.

A short, curated list of peer-reviewed literature supporting the concepts behind PCEM — AI-enhanced prostate imaging, therapeutic margin and focal therapy, digital pathology and AI-assisted reporting, and cancer mapping for treatment planning. Not exhaustive.

  1. Winkel, D.J., Tong, A., Lou, B., et al. (2021). A novel deep learning based computer-aided diagnosis system improves the accuracy and efficiency of radiologists in reading biparametric MRI scans of the prostate. Investigative Radiology, 56(10), 605–613.
  2. Turkbey, B., Rosenkrantz, A.B., Haider, M.A., et al. (2019). Prostate Imaging Reporting and Data System Version 2.1: 2019 Update of Prostate Imaging Reporting and Data System Version 2. European Urology, 76(3), 340–351.
  3. Valerio, M., Cerantola, Y., Eggener, S.E., et al. (2017). New and established technology in focal ablation of the prostate: a systematic review. European Urology, 71(1), 17–34.
  4. Priester, A., Natarajan, S., Khoshnoodi, P., et al. (2017). Magnetic resonance imaging underestimation of prostate cancer geometry: use of patient specific molds to correlate images with whole mount pathology. The Journal of Urology, 197(2), 320–326.
  5. Bulten, W., Kartasalo, K., Chen, P.C., et al. (2022). Artificial intelligence for diagnosis and Gleason grading of prostate cancer: the PANDA challenge. Nature Medicine, 28(1), 154–163.
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We work with urology practices and multidisciplinary teams that use mpMRI, pathology, and cytomolecular or genomic data to plan prostate cancer care. Share a little about your setting and a member of our team will follow up to discuss how this service may fit into your workflow.

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