Prostate Biopsy

[MenShouldSpeakUp]

Would anyone that has had a prostate biopsy care to share their experience? It seems this procedure is often advised but I found the following from a patient online:

A 12 or 18 core blind biopsy, holy prostate! One million dangerous prostate blind biopsies are performed in the USA each year and they should be banned: Men with a high PSA tests result are often sent to a urologist for a blind biopsy. This technology is (obsolete) 30 years old. Would you use a cell phone or drive a car that was designed 30 years ago? Blind prostate biopsy cost in the USA is at least $3 billion annually. False positives and false negatives can occur. Men should be told about other options; Percent free PSA test, 4Kscore test, PCA3 test or a 3T MRI test before receiving a blind biopsy. These tests can often eliminate the need for a risky and invasive blind biopsy. Unfortunately, sometimes insurance companies may not pay for other tests. Insertion of 12 or 18 large hollow needles through the dirty rectum into a gland the size of a walnut, a blind biopsy can result in pain, infections, a risk of temporary or permanent erectile dysfunction [22,23]. Biopsies can cause, urinary problems, 6.9% hospitalization within 30 days from a complication[11], sometimes even death from sepsis (About 1.3 to 3.5 deaths per 1,000)[5]. There is also debate that a biopsy may spread cancer because of needle tracking. A blind biopsy is degrading and can also increase PSA reading for several weeks or months, further frightening men into unnecessary treatment. Blind biopsies are almost never performed on other organs. One prestigious hospital biopsy information pamphlet states: semen color has a rust tint. Another well-known hospital describes semen as: reddish or brown. These statements can be an extreme exaggeration (mostly lies). After a biopsy, a man's semen can turn into a jet black goo. This could be an unpleasant surprise for a man and especially for his unsuspecting partner. However, if a biopsy is performed before Halloween or April Fools’ day this may be of use to a few men. If some prestigious hospitals are not factual about the color of semen, what other facts are being misrepresented?

[Modestmale]

I’ve heard urologists refer to this barbaric procedure as the “gold standard” and know men who still blindly accept that (usually to only rule out dreaded cancer).

[xsevenx]

I thought trans rectal prostatic biopsy had been superseded by trans perineal due to the high rates of sepsis with the former.

My MRI prostate earlier this year was clear of any suspicious areas. But I was informed that if the MR was suspicious I would need a trans perineal procedure.

[LewesGuy]

Yes, I had prostate biopsy which showed prostate cancer. I had subsequent prostatectomy, and the surgical pathology showed that the prostate biopsy was mostly correct -- It suggested stage 2 or 3, when the surgical pathology showed stage 3a.