Twelve prostate biopsies detect significant cancer volumes (> 0.5 mL)

Objectives To compare, in a retrospective study, pathological specimens of prostate cancer detected in additional areas of a 12-core biopsy with tumou rs detected using traditional sextant biopsy. Patients and methods The study included 27 patients who had undergone radic al prostatectomy (RP) for prostate cancer. Prostatectomy specimens of cance rs detected using standard sextant biopsies were compared with those detect ed using six additional core biopsies. The RP specimens were analysed for c ancer volume, Gleason score, tumour grade (Mostofi) and pathological stage. Results Of the 27 patients, six (29%) had cancer detected in the extra six biopsy cores which would have otherwise have been undetected using sextant biopsy. Only two insignificant cancers were detected. The mean Gleason scor e was 6.1 for cancer detected by the sextant or 12-core method (P = 0.907); the mean grade (Mostofi) was 2.1 and 2.33, respectively (P = 0.29). The fi nal tumour stage in the 21 patients undergoing sextant biopsy was pT2 in 13 and pT3 in eight, compared with six pT2 tumours in the six patients diagno sed using extra biopsies. The mean (median, range) tumour volume was 5.7 (3 .5, 0.312-23.75) mL for cancers detected on sextant biopsy and 1.99 (1.85, 0.4-3.6) mL in the six cancers detected using extra cores (P = 0.0138). Conclusion The detection of prostate cancer was increased using extra biops y cores. There was a significant difference in tumour volume but not in Gle ason score, Mostofi grade or final pathological tumour stage between tumour s diagnosed using 12 cores and those detected on sextant biopsy.