Prostate Cancer: Biopsy

A biopsy is the removal of small pieces of tissue to test. The small pieces of tissue are looked at with a microscope. A biopsy is used to confirm a diagnosis of cancer. A core needle biopsy is the most common way to look for prostate cancer.

What to expect during your biopsy

A core need biopsy to check for prostate cancer is most often done by a urologist. This is a doctor who is a specialist in problems of the urinary or genital tract. During a prostate biopsy:

• The procedure takes about 10 minutes. It is often done in a doctor’s office.

• The area near your prostate is numbed with a local anesthetic. 

• An ultrasound probe is put into the rectum. This uses sound waves to create images on a computer. It helps guide the doctor in where to take the small pieces of tissue from your prostate.

• A thin, hollow needle is used to take the samples. The needle moves in and out very quickly. Because of this, you may not feel much discomfort.

• About 12 samples are taken from different areas of the prostate. 

• To prevent infection, you may be given an antibiotic medication.

After the procedure, you might have:

• Soreness in the area

• Blood in your urine or semen

• Bleeding from your rectum

Biopsy results

Once the biopsy is done, the tissue pieces are looked at by a pathologist. This is a doctor who is a specialist in looking at tissue samples in a lab with a microscope. It usually takes a few days to get the results of a biopsy.

If cancer cells are found, the cancer is assigned a grade by the pathologist. The grading system for prostate cancer is called the Gleason score.

This scale uses numbers 1 to 5 to indicate how much the tissue looks like or does not look like normal prostate tissue. A grade is given to each of 2 areas of the prostate that have the most cancer cells.

The grades are:

• Grade 1. The tissue with cancer cells looks like normal prostate tissue.

• Grades 2 to 4. The tissue looks in between normal and very abnormal.

• Grade 5. The tissue looks very abnormal.

The grades from the 2 areas are added together. That number is then the Gleason score. The score is between 2 and 10.

Gleason scores are:

• Gleason score of 6 or less. Low-grade cancer.

• Gleason score of 7. Intermediate-grade cancer.

• Gleason scores of 8 to 10. High-grade cancer.

The higher the Gleason score, the more likely the cancer will grow and spread.

In some cases, a biopsy doesn't find any cancer. This is called a false negative. This might happen if the biopsy misses areas with cancer. Your health care provider may advise another biopsy if he or she thinks the test results may be wrong.

Other results from a biopsy

A biopsy may include other results. A pathologist may report cells that are abnormal, but are not cancer. They may call these cells “suspicious.” Suspicious cells may be

• Prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (PIN). This is abnormal growth, but it is not cancer. There are low- and high-grade PIN. In men with high-grade PIN, there is a 20% to 30% chance that cancer is present somewhere else in the prostate.

• Atypical small acinar proliferation (ASAP). ASAP is also called atypia. The cells may look like cancer, but there are very few of them. Like PIN, it is more likely cancer is also present in the prostate.

• Proliferative inflammatory atrophy (PIA). This means prostate cells that are smaller than normal, and inflammation is present. This may lead to high-grade PIN or prostate cancer.

If you have any of these, your health care provider may watch your prostate health more closely. He or she may also do a second biopsy.

After your biopsy

When your health care provider has the results of your biopsy, he or she will talk with you about next steps. This may include treatment plans, or regular checkups.

Talk with your urologist or other health care provider if you have problems after your biopsy. Make sure you understand the results and what follow up is needed.