Imaging

Finding out if there is cancer in the prostate and if it is clinically significant has been a major problem because it is hard to image the organ. But magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has that capability – and the development of MRI technology and its applications including the prostate are European stories. However, proponents have had to battle resistance to its use by some urologists.

Stereotactic radiosurgery – using focused beams of radiation to treat tumours and other abnormalities – was the brainchild of Swedish neurosurgeon, Lars Leksell. It has become widely deployed to treat brain metastases with a machine that bears his name – the Leksell Gamma Knife.