Prostate saturation biopsy in the reevaluation of microfocal prostate cancer

PURPOSE: We evaluated the ability of an extended, 32-core repeat transrectal ultrasound prostate biopsy protocol to improve the characterization of low volume, well differentiated disease in men with a diagnosis of potentially insignificant microfocal prostate cancer, as defined by 1 single focus positive core of 10 with less than 5 mm of Gleason score 6 or less tumor on primary biopsy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 35 consecutive patients, who were 62 to 75 years old, had a median serum prostate specific antigen of 8 ng/ml (range 0.5 to 14) and a diagnosis of minimal prostate cancer, and were willing to consider observation with delayed treatment at progression, were offered repeat saturation prostate biopsy with a median of 32 cores (range 18 to 36) under local anesthesia. This biopsy was to determine whether more extensive prostate sampling would confirm or disprove the initial diagnosis of microfocal, well differentiated prostate cancer. RESULTS: The procedure was aborted in 1 patient because of massive rectal hemorrhage. Another patient had acute prostatitis with gram-negative sepsis. Of 34 evaluable biopsy sets 11 (32%) were negative for cancer, suggesting that tumor detected at the primary biopsy was probably of low volume and amenable to observation with delayed treatment. Of the biopsies 23 (68%) were positive, 17 were at multiple sites and 7 were upgraded to Gleason score 7 or greater. These patients were then considered to have significant tumors and were offered active treatment. CONCLUSIONS: This study is to our knowledge the first to describe the clinical use of prostate saturation biopsies for re-evaluating potentially insignificant prostate cancer. Of patients with minimal disease on standard 10-core biopsy, results show that this technique may be helpful for distinguishing the 30% who probably have minimal disease based on negative repeat saturation biopsy from the 70% who almost certainly have a significant tumor, as characterized by multiple positive cores, with or without an increased Gleason score. The latter patients should be offered active therapy.     

Predictors of prostate cancer on repeat transrectal ultrasound-guided systematic prostate biopsy

BACKGROUND: We analyzed the outcome of repeated transrectal ultrasound (TRUS)-guided systematic prostate biopsy in Japanese men whose clinical findings were suspected of prostate cancer after previous negative biopsies. METHODS: Between January 1993 and March 2002, 1045 patients underwent TRUS-guided prostate biopsy. Among them, 104 patients underwent repeat biopsy due to indications of persistent elevated serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA), abnormal digital rectal examination (DRE) or TRUS, increased PSA velocity, and/or previous suspicious biopsy findings. Several clinicopathological factors were evaluated for their ability to predict the detection of prostate cancer on repeat biopsy. RESULTS: Prostate cancer was detected in 22 of 104 patients (21.2%) who underwent repeat biopsies. PSA concentration and PSA density at both the initial and repeat biopsies, and PSA velocity in men with positive repeat biopsy were significantly greater than those in men with negative repeat biopsy. The incidence of abnormal findings in DRE and TRUS at initial biopsy in men with positive repeat biopsy was also significantly higher than that in men with negative repeat biopsy. However, neither the presence of prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia nor number of biopsy cores at initial biopsy had a significant association with the results of the repeat biopsy. Furthermore, multivariate analysis revealed that PSA and PSA density at both the initial and repeat biopsies, PSA velocity, and DRE and TRUS findings at initial biopsy were independent predictors of malignant disease on repeat biopsy. CONCLUSION: Despite an initial negative biopsy, repeat TRUS-guided biopsy should be carried out to exclude prostate cancer in cases of suspicious clinical findings, such as elevated PSA or PSA-related parameters, or abnormal findings of DRE or TRUS.     

超声引导下前列腺12针系统穿刺活检增加前列腺癌检出率的研究

目的:探讨不同年龄及前列腺特异性抗原(PSA)分组对12针穿刺活检前列腺癌检出率及肿瘤特征的影响。方法:临床表现怀疑前列腺癌患者210例,按照患者的年龄分为≤59岁组、60～69岁组、70～79岁组、≥80岁组,按照PSA水平分为0～4μg/L组、4.1～10μg/L组、10.1～20μg/L组、20.1～50μg/L组、>50μg/L组,记录患者临床资料及活检结果。提出不同的穿刺方案并计算其检出率。结果:210例怀疑为前列腺癌患者,检出前列腺癌91例,总的前列腺癌检出率为43.3%,随着年龄的增长,PSA水平的提高,检出率逐渐提高。年龄的增长、PSA水平的提高与体积较大、分级较高的肿瘤密切相关。外周带穿刺与旁正中矢状尖部穿刺有较高的前列腺癌检出率。当患者年龄<60岁,PSA水平<20μg/L时,12针穿刺活检为较佳方案。结论:12针穿刺活检可以弥补6针穿刺活检的缺陷,随着患者年龄的增长,PSA水平的提高,肿瘤的体积增大、病理分级较差。传统6针穿刺法与12针相比,受患者年龄、PSA水平的影响较大。     

经会阴前列腺穿刺与经直肠前列腺穿刺活检在前列腺癌诊断的初探

目的 对比经会阴与经直肠前列腺穿刺活检在前列腺癌诊断中的阳性率及并发症。方法 回顾分析2017年1月到2019年12月行前列腺穿刺活检的病例,经直肠组187例,经会阴组68例。结果 经直肠组阳性穿刺率为34.7%,经会阴组阳性穿刺率为29.4%,两组无统计学差异（P>0.05）。穿刺后经直肠组和经会阴组的血尿发生率分别为40.1%、42.6%,尿潴留发生率分别为6.9%、7.3%,直肠出血发生率分别为1.1%、0%,差别无统计学意义（P>0.05）。穿刺后经直肠组和经会阴组的会阴肿胀的发生率分别为2.6%、13.2%,两组有统计学差异（P<0.05）。结论 超声引导下经直肠、经会阴前列腺穿刺活检均为前列腺癌诊断的有效方法。两者穿刺阳性率无明显差异,但并发症各有特点。     

The role of transperineal template prostate biopsies in restaging men with prostate cancer managed by active surveillance

Study Type – Diagnostic (exploratory cohort) Level of Evidence 3b What's known on the subject? and What does the study add? The optimal method of active surveillance in prostate cancer remains unknown. This study is one of the first to report on the role of transperineal template prostate biopsies in active surveillance. It demonstrates that around one third of men are reclassified with more significant prostate cancer at an early stage in their management. This is a higher proportion than reported in contemporary cancers using standard transrectal biopsies for restaging.

OBJECTIVE

• ? To evaluate the role of transperineal template prostate biopsies in men on active surveillance.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

• ? In all, 101 men on active surveillance for prostate cancer underwent restaging transperineal template prostate biopsies at a single centre.
• ? Criteria for active surveillance were ≤75 years, Gleason ≤3+3, prostate‐specific antigen (PSA) ≤15 ng/mL, clinical stage T1–2a and ≤50% ultrasound‐guided transrectal biopsy cores positive for cancer with ≤10 mm of disease in a single core.
• ? The number of men with an increase in disease volume or Gleason grade on transperineal template biopsy and the number of men who later underwent radical treatment were assessed.
• ? The role of PSA and PSA kinetics were studied.

RESULTS

• ? In all, 34% of men had more significant prostate cancer on restaging transperineal template biopsies compared with their transrectal biopsies.
• ? Of these men, 44% had disease predominantly in the anterior part of the gland, an area often under‐sampled by transrectal biopsies.
• ? In the group of men who had their restaging transperineal template biopsies within 6 months of commencing active surveillance 38% had more significant disease.
• ? There was no correlation with PSA velocity or PSA doubling time.
• ? In total, 33% of men stopped active surveillance and had radical treatment.

CONCLUSIONS

• ? Around one‐third of men had more significant prostate cancer on transperineal template biopsies.
• ? This probably reflects under‐sampling by initial transrectal biopsies rather than disease progression.

     

Optimizing prostate cancer detection during biopsy by standardizing the amount of tissue examined per core

Study Type – Diagnostic (exploratory cohort) Level of Evidence 2b What’s known on the subject? and What does the study add? The main goal of a prostate biopsy is to identify clinically relevant prostate cancer with the lowest possible morbidity from the procedure. Over time, many have tried different variations in the procedure in an attempt to find the optimal methodology for performing prostate biopsies. These changes include better equipment in helping optimize cancer localization, varying the number of cores in efforts to improve cancer detection, and sampling various areas of the prostate to find cancer that might be difficult to identify. To our knowledge we are the first to describe performing prostate biopsies by keeping the sampling size constant and varying the number of cores based on the size of the prostate. The study adds a variation in the current techniques used for prostate biopsies. In certain situations, using a standard number of cores makes obtaining proper sampling of a prostate difficult. We propose a methodology in performing prostate biopsies that will allow for standardization of the tissue per core analysed, thus improving the sampling of the prostate.

OBJECTIVE

? To investigate the effect on cancer detection by varying the number of cores taken for prostate biopsy according to the size of the prostate.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

? A retrospective review of a prospectively registered prostate biopsy database identified 3040 consecutive patients undergoing prostate biopsy at a Veterans Administration Hospital between 1994 and 2008. ? Of 2224 biopsies, 681 (31%) were found to have cancer and 1540 (69%) had negative biopsies. ? Prostate volume to biopsy core ratios (volume/number of cores) were derived and a comparative analysis was performed to determine the impact on cancer detection rates.

RESULTS

? The median prostate volume was significantly smaller for those patients diagnosed with prostate cancer than for those with negative biopsies (33 vs 43 cc, P= 0.01). ? The median number of cores was the same for both groups of patients (median 12, P= 0.66). ? The median transrectal ultrasonography TRUS size/core ratio was 3.5 [interquartile range (IQR) 2.5] for patients with identified cancer as compared with 4.7 (IQR = 3.9) for those with negative biopsies (P= 0.000). ? On multivariable logistic regression analysis TRUS size/core ratio had a significant impact on cancer detection with a relative risk ratio of 1.29 (95% confidence interval, 1.1–1.5, P= 0.001) even when controlled for age, race, prostate volume, digital rectal examination and prostate‐specific antigen level.

CONCLUSIONS

? Prostate cancer detection can be enhanced by individualizing the number of cores performed to a real‐time prostate volume sampling. ? The present study emphasizes that optimal cancer detection rates were observed when a ratio of 3.5 cc per tissue core was achieved. ? Proper prospectively designed studies must be performed to further validate these findings.     

前列腺体积及前列腺穿刺针数对前列腺癌诊断的影响

目的探讨前列腺体积及前列腺穿刺针数对前列腺癌诊断情况的影响并分析其原因。方法回顾性总结2002∽2009年间于我院行超声引导下经直肠前列腺系统12针穿刺292例患者的临床资料。患者PSA在o～20ng／mL之间。经直肠超声计算前列腺体积。将患者按照前列腺体积分为：〈30mL,30∽60mL,60∽90mL,〉90mL四组,比较各组前列腺穿刺6针、8针、10针、12针时前列腺癌诊断率。统计学Fisher’S检验比较各组间差异性。结果总体前列腺癌诊断率为25％（73／292）,在〈30mL组：6针、8针、10针、12针的前列腺癌诊断率相同,均为39．13％（21／54）;在30～60mL组：6针、8针、10针、12针的诊断率分别为：21．3％（23／108）、23．1％（25／108）、23．1％（25／108）、24．1％（26／108）,诊断率无显著差异（P〉0．05）。在60～90mL组：6针的诊断率为12．9％（12／93）,显著低于8针（19．4％（18／93）3、10针[20．4％（19／93）]、12针（20．4％（19／93）]的诊断率（Pd0．05）。在〉90mL组：6针、8针的诊断率均为8．1％（3／37）,显著低于10针、12针的诊断率C18．9％（7／37）,P〈0．053。黠论前列腺体积是选择前列腺穿刺针数时的一个重要的参考因素,在前列腺体积较大的情况下,可适当的增加前列腺穿刺针数,在前列腺体积较小的情况下,增加前列腺穿刺针数并不能提高前列腺癌的诊断率。     

超声引导下前列腺6点活检诊断早期前列腺癌

目的探讨前列腺癌(PCa)的超声影像与超声引导下6点系统活检病理学检查的关系,提高早期PCa检出率。方法研究对象为PCa集团普查发现的血清PSA>4.0ng/ml的329例经直肠超声引导下前列腺活检受检者,每位受检者均行血清PSA检测及前列腺活检病理诊断。结果(1)329例接受前列腺活检病例中PCa患者93例(28.3%),其中前列腺腺癌88例,其他类型癌5例。(2)93例PCa患者的超声影像中见低回声反射区组为56例(60.2%),其余37例为无异常回声组(39.8%)。(3)88例前列腺腺癌中,53例低回声反射区组PSA平均值为(60.50±39.79)ng/ml,35例无异常回声组PSA平均值为(12.74±8.25)ng/ml,两组比较差异显著(P<0.001)。PSA含量4.0￣10.0ng/ml区间者17例,无低回声反射区者15例,占88.2%。(4)早期病例(A,B期)中无异常回声组占82.9%。结论在超声影像学无异常的血清PSA增高的人群中,经超声引导下前列腺活检能够发现早期PCa。     

Transperineal 12-core systematic biopsy in the detection of prostate cancer

BACKGROUND: The present study was designed to determine the clinical value of transperineal 12-core systematic prostate biopsy guided by transrectal ultrasonography (TRUS) in the detection of prostate cancer. METHODS: A total of 679 consecutive patients underwent systematic prostate biopsies because of abnormal results on digital rectal examination and/or TRUS and/or an elevated serum prostate-specific antigen level. Systematic six- and 12-core biopsies were taken in 138 patients between April 1994 and February 1995 and in the remaining 541 between March 1995 and February 2000, respectively. Twelve-core biopsy included two samples from the lateral portion of the peripheral zone and four from the anterior portion of the transition zone in addition to the conventional six-core biopsy. RESULTS: In the series overall, systematic biopsy revealed 156 cases of prostate cancer (23.0%). The detection rate increased by 5.2%, although this was statistically not significant, from 18.8% (26/138) by six-core biopsy to 24.0% (130/541) by 12-core biopsy. Out of 130 patients in whom prostate cancer was detected by 12-core biopsy, it was supposed that conventional six-core biopsy would have missed 18 cases (13.8%). CONCLUSIONS: Systematic 12-core biopsy might improve the detection rate for prostate cancer. However, further studies are needed to determine its clinical value in the diagnosis of the disease.     

When serial prostate biopsy is recommended: most cancers detected are clinically insignificant

Study Type – Disagnostic (exploratory cohort) Level of Evidence 2b What's known on the subject? and What does the study add? Many patients undergo serial biopsy with a low rate of detection of prostate cancer, and the rate of detection declines as more biopsies are pursued. Furthermore, the clinical significance of detected cancer appears to decline as well. It is important to follow all possible methods to detect cancer; however, there should be a parallel consideration for the clinical value for detection of these tumours with low malignant potential. The present study investigated in detail the total rate of cancer detection in serial biopsy and how many of these were deemed clinically insignificant. Moreover, it addressed the impact of detecting premalignant lesions on further detection of cancer in serial biopsy.

OBJECTIVE

• ? Many patients pursue serial prostate biopsies after two consecutive negative biopsy sessions. The objective of this study is to determine the indications of serial prostate biopsy and to compare outcomes, including the risk of detecting clinically insignificant cancer using different biopsy protocols in this highly selected population.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

• ? Most cases of prostate cancer are detected on initial or one repeat biopsy, but persistent suspicion of prostate cancer occasionally leads to serial biopsy, which we define as more than two biopsy sessions. We recently showed that transrectal saturation biopsy (sPBx) significantly increases cancer detection when compared with extended schemes (ePBx) in the initial repeat biopsy (second overall biopsy) population, and that most cases identified are clinically significant.
• ? In the past decade, 479 men underwent 749 repeat prostate biopsies after two prior negative biopsy sessions.
• ? The ePBx group included 347 biopsies with 10–14 cores.
• ? The sPBx group included 402 biopsies with >20 cores.
• ? We analysed overall cancer detection and risk of detecting clinically significant vs insignificant tumours.

RESULTS

• ? Prostate cancer was detected in 15.9% of 749 serial biopsies, representing a cumulative prostate cancer detection rate of 24.8% (119/479 patients).
• ? The sPBx group had a significantly higher detection rate per biopsy session (18.6% vs 12.7%, P= 0.026).
• ? Nevertheless, most positive biopsies 75/119 (63%) revealed clinically insignificant cancer, including 74.6% of cancers detected by sPBx.

CONCLUSION

• ? In men with two prior negative prostate biopsies, prostate cancer detection remains low regardless of clinical indication or transrectal biopsy protocol; most cancers identified are clinically insignificant, suggesting the threshold to repeat biopsy after more than one negative session should be very high.