A core needle biopsy is the main method used to diagnose prostate cancer. A biopsy is a procedure in which a sample of tissue is removed and then examined under a microscope. The doctor will use transrectal ultrasound (TRUS) for guidance and insert a narrow needle through the wall of your rectum into several areas of your prostate gland. The needle then removes a cylinder of tissue, usually about 1/2-inch long and 1/16-inch across, that is sent to the laboratory to see if cancer is present.
Though the procedure sounds painful, it typically causes little discomfort because a special instrument called a biopsy gun inserts and removes the needle in a fraction of a second. Also the doctor can numb the area with a local anesthetic. The procedure takes about 15 minutes and is usually done in the doctor's office.
Several biopsy samples are often taken from different areas of the prostate. Anywhere from 6 to 13 samples are usually needed to determine if cancer is present and how much of the gland is affected, but as many as 18 samples may be taken from some patients. You may want to discuss the number of biopsies to be taken with your doctor before the procedure starts.
Unfortunately, even when taking more samples, biopsies can occasionally miss detecting cancer. This is known as a "false negative" result. If your doctor still strongly suspects you may have prostate cancer (due to a very high PSA level, for example) a repeat biopsy may be needed to help rule this out.
Some doctors will perform the biopsy through the perineum, the skin between the rectum and the scrotum. The doctor will place his or her finger in your rectum to feel the prostate and then insert the biopsy needle through a small incision in the skin of the perineum. The doctor will also use a local anesthetic to numb the area.
Your biopsy sample will then be sent to a pathology laboratory. There, the pathologist (a doctor who specializes in diagnosing disease in tissue samples) will determine if there are cancer cells in your biopsy sample by examining it under the microscope. This analysis usually takes 1 to 3 days. If cancer is present, the pathologist will also assign it a grade.
Prostate Biopsy
A prostate gland biopsy is a test to remove small samples of prostate tissue to be examined under a microscope. See an illustration of the prostate gland.
For a prostate biopsy, a thin needle is inserted through the rectum (transrectal biopsy), through the urethra, or through the area between the anus and scrotum (perineum). A transrectal biopsy is the most common method used. The tissue samples taken during the biopsy are examined for cancer cells.
A biopsy may be done when a blood test shows a high level of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) or after a digital rectal examination finds an abnormal prostate or a lump.
Can I have more than one prostate biopsy? The simple answer is yes. Sometimes cancer is not found on the first biopsy and yet there are other indications of cancer. In this case additional prostate biopsies may be done.
Why It Is Done . . . . .
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How Is Prostate Cancer Diagnosed?
If certain symptoms or the results of early detection tests -- the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood test and/or digital rectal exam (DRE) -- suggest that you might have prostate cancer, your doctor will do a prostate biopsy to find out if the disease is present.
The Prostate Biopsy Procedure
A biopsy is a procedure in which a sample of body tissue is removed and then looked at under a microscope. A core needle biopsy is the main method used to diagnose prostate cancer. It is usually done by a urologist, a surgeon who treats cancers of the genital and urinary tract, which includes the prostate gland. Using transrectal ultrasound . . . .
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Page Reviewed and/or Updated:
September 21, 2008
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Information You Should Read
Stanford Univ. video on PCa
The Prostate - What, Where
The Prostate Biopsy
How To Tell a "Physician Artist"
The Doctors Appointment
Insignificant Cancer
Vocabulary, Glossary, etc.
Tables, Tests, Markers etc.
Gleason Info and Partin Tables
PSA - What it is and means
Locally Advanced Cancer
BPH
Prostatitis
Other Diagnostic Tools
Veterans Information
