The Prostate Biopsy

For men 50 and over, digital rectal exams, or DREs, has become a routine part  of the annual checkup, as have prostate specific antigen, or PSA tests. These  tests can uncover signs of prostate cancer. But before a doctor can make the  final diagnosis, they will use an another procedure: the prostate biopsy. To  confirm the presence of prostate cancer, a doctor uses a needle to collect a  sample of cells from the prostate. A pathologist, an expert who can distinguish  cancerous from non-cancerous cells, then examines this sample. With more and  more men undergoing biopsies, doctors are making every effort to ensure the  procedure is as safe, comfortable, and accurate as possible.

A prostate biopsy is a very simple procedure. The whole process takes about  15 minutes and doesn’t require anesthesia. The doctor will insert a slender  ultrasound device into the patient’s rectum, and the device will emit sound  waves to produce an image of the prostate. The process is referred to as  transrectal ultrasound or TRUS. Guided by the ultrasound image, the doctor will  slide a tiny needle through the rectal wall and into the prostate gland. The  important word here is tiny, a prostate biopsy needles are only 1.2 millimeters  in diameter.

Prostate tumors tend to be extremely small and can be located about anywhere  on the prostate. Due to this reason, doctors take samples from several areas of  the prostate gland. The most common approach is to take six different samples.  However, in some cases, doctors will take as many as 47 samples in a search for  cancer. This approach can uncover tumors that regular biopsies might miss. The  comprehensive procedure requires that the patients be anesthetized first.

There are few side affects to biopsy. In most cases, fear of the biopsy  causes more trouble than the actual biopsy. Many patients might notice small  amounts of blood in their stools, urine, or semen in the days after a biopsy.  This is normal and to be expected and no cause for alarm. Less than 1 percent of  all patients develop severe bleeding or an infection of the prostate or urinary  tract due to biopsy. Whether a surgeon takes several biopsy samples, or dozens  or more, there’s still a chance that the cancer will be missed. In one study  researchers performed biopsies on 800 men who had recently had negative  biopsies. In ten percent of the cases, the second biopsies turned up cancer. So  a negative biopsy is no guarantee that you are truly cancer-free. Even if you  don’t show any signs of cancer, continue to get regular PSA tests and digital  rectal exams as recommended by your doctor.

For more information visit: http://www.sebenlife.com/prostacet