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Posted 6/17/2014 11:05 PM (GMT 0)
I was re-reading my original biopsy results and my post-surgery pathology report. I noticed the following: 5 of 12 biopsy cores were positive for PCa and my final pathology report showed the tumor involved only 10% of the prostate.

Does it seem odd that 42% of the cores (5 of 12) found PCa in a prostate that was only 10% cancerous? Was the Uro who did the biopsy just a "lucky shot"? As I recall, the Uro told me that the 12 sites he sampled are distributed evenly around the prostate.

-Gedman
Posted 6/17/2014 11:21 PM (GMT 0)
My husband had 7 out of 12 cores (58%) positive for cancer, but the post-surgery pathology said that the cancer involved 20% of the prostate. He had EPE in one area. I don't know the significance of this but it is a similar result.
Posted 6/18/2014 2:09 PM (GMT 0)
I had almost identical biopsy and post op pathology reports. It was not just luck. Your Uro was probably using ultrasonic guidance during the biopsy and took from what he/she considered the most suspicious areas.
Posted 6/18/2014 4:27 PM (GMT 0)
The area of the prostate that can be reasonably sampled transrectally I'm guessing is about 60% or 70% of the prostate. The anterior and transition zone are rarely sampled unless you have a rockstar radiologist using CDU or MRI or have a transperiniel saturation biopsy.
The post op pathology uses 100% of the prostate to determine percent involvement and the biopsy only 60 or 70% of the prostate, the peripheral zone; so mathamatically that accounts for most of the difference.
75% of all cancer discovered are in the PZ so this is a normal occurrence.

Post Edited (John T) : 6/18/2014 10:31:54 AM (GMT-6)

Posted 6/18/2014 5:10 PM (GMT 0)
Interesting. My husband had a high percentage of cancer in some of the cores that were positive, so I was surprised when the post-surgery pathology report said that the cancer involved 20% of the prostate. John T's post gives a good explanation of why that occurred.
Posted 6/18/2014 5:23 PM (GMT 0)
Gedman - I'd say skill more than luck. There is an art to performing a biopsy. I was 2 of 12 cores 5%
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