What is a Prostate Biopsy Procedure?

A prostate biopsy procedure is the taking of a minuscule tissue sample from the prostate gland to determine if cancer cells are present. Prostate cancer, without visible manifestations, can be very tricky to detect early on and Prostate Specific Antigen tests (PSA) as well as Digital Rectal Examinations (DRE) may or may not show the cancer’s presence. If your doctor has detected a density increase during a PSA test, or an irregularity during a DRE, the next step to accurately determine a prostate cancer’s presence is through a prostate biopsy procedure.

Prostate biopsy procedures consist of three types: a trans-rectal, transurethral, and a trans-perineal procedure. Though all of them are geared toward the detection of a prostate cancer, they differ in the way they are done.

Trans-rectal Prostate Biopsy

The trans-rectal prostate biopsy procedure employs the use of trans-rectal ultrasound monitor so that the doctor can guide the biopsy gun toward an appropriate place. This biopsy gun is a spring loaded needle capable of extracting several tissue samples a fraction of the second. Though there will be bleeding afterwards, visible in the urine and the ejaculate and on the rectum, the pain will be absent to minimal due to anesthetics applied beforehand.