Imaging advocates say new reporting tools for MRI prostate scans could help make the modality more useful for men and possibly one day eliminate thousands of unnecessary prostate biopsies.

Currently, an international effort from radiologists is underway to standardize the reporting of MRI prostate scans in an effort to make the interpretation of scans more uniform. The results could make data-gathering for clinical studies easier and also ensure patients at last fully benefit from new MRI technologies that might transform the way prostate cancer cases are diagnosed, managed and biopsied, according to the initiative’s backers.