How long should it take for a biopsy result

 

My dad was diagnosed with prostate cancer 2008 and had his prostate removed. His Gleason score was 8+ but he is doing well with no further complications 5 years later. All that to say I have family history.

I had a DRE at my yearly physical on 8/2007 and my family doctor referred me to a urologist because he said he felt a small nodule my PSA was in the normal range. I went to the Urologist and he said there was nothing there.

I continued with yearly physicals and DRE's with normal PSA's and no issues until 9/2013 (Age 43) when my family doctor said he felt a nodule again and referred me to the same urologist. My PSA again was normal.

This time the urologist felt the same thing. and scheduled me for a biopsy on Tuesday, 9/17/13. I had 12 cores taken at the biopsy and the Urologist told me to call back on Monday, 9/23/13 for the results. When I called back on Monday they said the results where not in yet so I called back again on Tuesday. Same story, the results are not in yet. Now it is Wednesday 9/23/13 and I am a nervous wreck waiting by the phone.

The anticipation is increased because lab the doctor uses gives you a paper at the time of the biopsy that says if your results are positive they will perform a DNA test against cheek swabs taken at the time of the biopsy to make sure that the results are matched to you. So in my worrying state of course I am thinking if the Doctor told me to call Monday for the results, the only thing that could be taking longer is my biopsy was positive and the extra time is being added due to the DNA test.

Is there anyone out there that can speak to my concerns?

In a way just writing this out makes me feel a bit more relaxed about this horrible waiting period. It has been really comforting to read your experiences and know you're not alone. Thanks for sharing your stories!

Post Edited (Mo Mo) : 9/25/2013 11:21:18 AM (GMT-6)

Hello Mo Mo,

When I was about a week and a half out from my first biopsy I told my uro's nurse that waiting for the results was driving me crazy. That did the trick. The doc fixed me up with a scrip for Xanex and I found the next week's waiting by the phone much more relaxing.

It shouldn't be long now. Tell you what. You wait by the phone and we'll do the worrying for you. There's lots of us and if we all pitch in we can easily produce that much extra anxiety and not even notice it. But do be sure to check back with us when you get your results so we can stop worrying -- or adjust our worrying -- as the case may be.

Mo Mo good luck with the results.

Welcome MO MO!
You ever hear that song by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, "The Waiting" is the hardest part.
Getting PCa is all about waiting. Waiting for PSA results, biopsy results, pathology results, etc etc
You should be getting that dreaded call any time now.
As Peter said, we are used to worrying, we'll all do it for you. Good luck, we are all pulling for you that you don't have to join our little club here.

Bill from Florida

My guess is that there is just some glitch in getting the results to your doctor. I would think that any positive result would not take any longer than normal to report. Doing a genetic comparison to make sure it is YOUR particular test probalby would not take much time to confirm the patient's identy.

Most likely it is just Murphy's Law interacting with you (happens to me all the time! LOL) and delaying what hopefully will be good news.

Hang in there!
Chuck

Resident of Highland, Indiana just outside of Chicago, IL.
July 2011 local PSA lab reading 6.41 (from 4.1 in 2009). Mayo Clinic PSA Sept. 2011 was 5.7.
Local urologist DRE revealed significant BPH, but no lumps.
PCa Dx Aug. 2011 at age of 61.
Biopsy revealed adenocarcinoma in 3 of 20 cores (one 5%, two 20%). T2C.
Gleason score 3+3=6.
CT of abdomen, bone scan both negative.
DaVinci prostatectomy 11/1/11 at Mayo Clinic (Rochester, MN), nerve sparing, age 62.
My surgeon was Dr. Matthew Tollefson, who I highly recommend.
Final pathology shows tumor confined to prostate.
5 lymph nodes, seminal vesicles, extraprostatic soft tissue all negative.
1.0 x 0.6 x 0.6 cm mass involving right posterior inferior,
right posterior apex & left mid posterior prostate.
Right posterior apex margin involved by tumor over a 0.2 cm length, doctor says this is insignificant.
Pathology showed Gleason 3 + 3, pT2c, N0, MX, R1
adenocarcinoma of the prostate.
Prostate 98.3 grams, tumor 2 grams. Prostate size 5.0 x 4.7 x 4.5 cm.
Abdominal drain removed the morning after surgery.
Catheter out in 7 days. No incontinence, occasional minor dripping.
Post-op exams 2/13/12, 9/10/12, 9/9/13 PSA <0.1. PSA tests now annual.
Semi-firm erections now happening 14 months post-op & VERY slowly getting a bit stronger.

Welcome to our world of PCa. My biopsy report took one week. The Dr. had scheduled an appointment at the time of the biopsy to over the results with me.

Don't remember exactly, but mine was at least 10 days. Two weeks I think.

 

Looks a lot like my stats. Even less % involvement. You would be considered "low risk", in other words, a less aggressive cancer and that's good. You may want to send your slides out for a second opinion to the guys at John Hopkins, just to make sure. You are going to have a lot of options, and that makes things difficult. What you do have is TIME! I took 6 months to make a decision on what type of treatment I wanted with very similar numbers to yours. Spend the weekend reading and educating yourself (start with the newly diagnosed thread at the top of this list). Don't panic! I know that can be hard, but it doesn't help. Come back here often, there's a world of support and information available from a lot of great people. We aren't doctors, but we've done our homework and can explain things through our experiences that many doctors can't. You're in the "shock" part of your journey, but you're going to get through this and we will be here to help.
Read and ask questions!
Sorry you have to be here,but you found the right place. Feel free to email me (its the envelope next to my name) with any questions you need help with.
Take a deep breath and hang in there,
Mike