How Accurate are Prostate Cancer Biopsies?
April 1, 2010 by Administrator
Filed under Prostate Biopsy
“It’s like poking into a pillow in which a couple of golf balls are hidden.” Dr. Tewari, of the Dept. of Urology at newyork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center, discusses the prostate cancer biopsy and its effectiveness. While it’s the best they have, it is not perfect.
An elevated blood serum PSA and/or prostatic hypertrophy(excessive growth of prostate tissue) are good predictors of cancer.
The next step is a prostate biopsy. As in many things medical, a
prostate biopsy is not 100% accurate, as a cancerous area of tissue
may be missed. If enough samples are taken, however, along with
indicative symptoms, blood tests and a digital rectal exam (DRE), a
urologist will have as good of an indication as possible. Some
urologists use an ultra-sound guided biopsy technique to locate
sampling areas.
The calculator — posted online for use by both patients and
physicians — adds age, race, family history of prostate cancer, prior
biopsy findings, and digital rectal exam (DRE) results into the mix
alongside PSA levels, to assess a man’s risk before having a new
biopsy.
“PSA is a very important predictor of cancer, but is only one part of
the picture of a man’s risk of cancer,” explained study author Dr. Ian
M. Thompson, professor and chairman of the department of urology at
the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio.?
http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=61133