糖心传媒

Prostate Biopsy

A biopsy is a聽short聽procedure during which a doctor takes a small sample of cells from the聽prostate. A pathologist examines the tissue sample under a microscope and determines whether the cells are normal or cancerous.聽

We use the least invasive biopsy procedure possible, minimizing discomfort while still obtaining enough cells to make a diagnosis.聽

We specialize in image-guided biopsy, which uses one of our imaging technologies to precisely locate the area where we need to take the tissue sample. We offer several types of聽prostate聽biopsy, and you may need one or more types depending on your individual case.聽

• Image-guided biopsy:聽Our radiologists often use imaging to precisely locate the abnormal tissue and guide the needle for the sample.聽
• Core biopsy聽uses a聽thin, hollow聽needle to take the sample. Your doctor will聽give you a local anesthetic and then insert the needle through the wall of your rectum to reach the prostate.聽This is the biopsy procedure we use most often to confirm a diagnosis of聽prostate聽cancer.

While the overall procedure lasts about 10 minutes, the actual biopsy lasts only a fraction of a second.聽

You will聽be prescribed antibiotics before the procedure to control any risk of infection. You may feel some soreness for a few days and notice blood in your urine and from your rectum. You may also notice blood in your semen for up to several weeks.

Pathology: Analyzing聽prostate聽biopsies

After you have a biopsy, your nurse sends your tissue samples to our pathologists for review. A pathologist is a medical doctor who specializes in reviewing and evaluating lab tests, cells, and tissues to diagnose disease. Our pathologists analyze biopsy samples to determine whether the tissue is cancerous and, if so, what type of聽prostate聽cancer it is.

At the Stanford聽Prostate聽Cancer Program, our pathologists specialize in聽prostate聽cancer. That focus means they have extensive expertise interpreting聽prostate聽biopsies and other tests to confirm or rule out a聽prostate聽cancer diagnosis.聽

Because聽prostate聽cancer represents a complex group of different diseases, it鈥檚 important to have expert pathologists on your care team. Years of experience studying聽prostate聽cancer every day means your pathologist can accurately identify critical details. This information includes whether the cancer:

• Is invasive or noninvasive
• Shows a high or low cell grade聽or Gleason score聽(rating that describes how different the cancer cells are from normal cells)
• Is aggressive or slow growing
• Contains molecules that indicate the cancer subtype

All these details help form an accurate diagnosis, which is vital to your treatment plan. Your care team takes the time to do a thorough evaluation from the start, so that your treatment will be more effective.聽

Biopsies can still sometimes miss a cancer if none of the biopsy needles pass through聽cancer cells. If聽your other imaging and blood test result prompt your doctor to聽suspect you have prostate cancer,聽a repeat biopsy may be聽recommended聽to help be sure.聽

Prostate聽tumor tissue bank

Our doctors and 糖心传媒ers work to thoroughly understand the true diversity of聽prostate聽cancer and identify the genetic abnormalities that can play a role in聽prostate聽cancer formation. That鈥檚 why it鈥檚 critical that our doctors have access to tissue samples to plan for each patient鈥檚 care.

At Stanford, we store聽prostate聽tissue聽samples聽so we can use them for 糖心传媒, using the following process:

1. After we take a biopsy (tiny sample of聽prostate聽tissue), we ask you if you would like to give it to the tissue bank.
2. The tissue first goes to the laboratory, where the pathologist samples it.
3. If you approve, the tissue then goes to聽prostate聽cancer 糖心传媒 specialists. These doctors work with our clinicians (doctors involved in patient care) to identify new pathways of tumor formation and possible treatments.

Our聽prostate聽tumor bank provides our doctors and other 糖心传媒ers with a variety of different types of聽prostate聽cancer cells to study. As we work on new methods and tools for diagnosing and treating聽prostate聽cancer, our goal is to move these findings from the lab into patient care.

Current as of: 02/2020