Purpose: We determined the diagnostic role of an extensive biopsy protocol associated with transurethral prostate resection in patients with persistently increased or increasing prostate specific antigen without evidence of prostate cancer after 2 or more extended negative sets of biopsies.
Materials and methods: A new set of 21-core biopsies was done in 113 patients under general anesthesia in association with transurethral prostate resection. Demographics, clinical and biological data, operative parameters, pathological results and followup were recorded prospectively.
Results: Extended biopsies provided an 18.6% detection rate and detected 77.8% of prostate cancers. Transurethral prostate resection significantly increased the detection rate by 28.5% for an overall 23.9% prostate cancer detection rate (p = 0.035). Most prostate cancer detected on chips and/or biopsy was clinically significant and 30% were scored as Gleason 7 or greater. Of prostatectomy specimens 19% showed pT3a-pT4 cancer with a median Gleason score of 7. In patients with no cancer mean prostate specific antigen 1 year after transurethral prostate resection was 4.5 ng/ml (range 0.3 to 16.3), which remained stable during followup. A third of these patients underwent repeat biopsy with a 16.7% prostate cancer detection rate.
Conclusions: About a fourth of patients with at least 2 extended negative sets of prostate biopsies remain at risk for prostate cancer and most tumors missed on initial procedures are clinically significant. Repeat biopsy using general anesthesia detects three-fourths of these prostate cancers. However, the diagnostic yield of transurethral prostate resection appears significant and may provide additional data of clinical importance in select, informed patients.