Despite the fact that there are a number of different tests that can be carried out if you suspect the possible presence of prostate cancer, the only certain way to detect the disease is through a prostate cancer biopsy. But exactly how efficient is the biopsy when it comes to detecting this condition?
In the US alone annually there are approximately one million prostate cancer biopsy procedures performed of which some 25 percent indicate the existence of cancer. But, of the other 75 percent of biopsies approximately 33 percent also result in false negative results. This means that roughly 25 percent of all men having a prostate biopsy are being cleared by their biopsy, notwithstanding the fact that they are suffering from prostate cancer.
On the surface therefore it may appear that the cancer biopsy is not a very effective test but these results do not in fact show that there is anything wrong with the prostate biopsy procedure as a method of identifying the presence of cancer. What it does show however is that there is a need to detect those men who, in spite of returning negative results, are nevertheless at considerable risk from cancer and ought therefore to undergo a follow-up biopsy.
The problem is that until very recently there has been no simple method of identifying those patients who are at risk. However, a recent study of over five hundred patients being investigated for the possible presence of prostate cancer may now provide an answer.
All of the patients taking part in the study had previously had a negative biopsy result but researchers discovered that when they studied the patient's prostate specific antigen test results and adjusted these for the size of the prostate gland they could identify those men who were likely to produce positive results on a second biopsy.
The researchers also discovered that patients with a Gleeson score of 7 or higher were at greater risk from life-threatening cancer and were once again more likely to record a positive result on a second biopsy. The Gleeson score runs on a scale between 2 and 10 and the score is calculated from a laboratory investigation of biopsy tissue. Low scores indicate a cancer with a relatively low risk of spread and high scores indicate a cancer which is far more likely to spread.
There are a number of different biopsy procedures available nowadays but possibly the most common procedure is the core needle biopsy. Here a number of very small tissue samples are removed from different sections of the prostrate gland with a biopsy gun which fires a needle into the selected area to remove the sample in a fraction of a second. The samples collected are then sent for microscopic examination to establish whether or not cancer is present and, if so, to work out exactly how much of the prostate gland is affected.
A prostate cancer biopsy is an expensive procedure and is one which can also be relatively distressing for the patient. It is sometimes also a quite painful procedure which can involve bleeding and the risk of infection. Consequently it is important to detect those patients for whom a second biopsy is wise and to reduce as far as possible the number of preventable follow-up biopsies being performed each year.
Author Resource:-
ProstateProblemCenter.com provides information on everything from the prostate biopsy to the therapeutic use of prostate milking
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