Purpose: We determined the impact of 1 or more systematic (4 to 6 cores) needle biopsies of the prostate on the incidence of prostate cancer in men undergoing transurethral resection of the prostate for symptomatic benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) with elevated serum prostate specific antigen (PSA) and/or suspicious digital rectal examination.
Materials and methods: Records were reviewed retrospectively for 85 consecutive men 54 to 85 years old who underwent transurethral resection of the prostate for symptomatic BPH. Of the men 56 (66%) had at least 1 prior benign systematic prostate biopsy.
Results: Cancer was detected in the transurethral resection specimen in 5 of 29 men (17.2%) who had no prior prostatic biopsy and in 9 of 56 (16.1%) who had at least 1 prior benign biopsy. Among the latter group the probability of cancer being present in the transurethral resection specimen was not related to the number of prior biopsies, PSA concentration or PSA density. Of the cancers detected in men with at least 1 prior benign biopsy 89% were clinical stage T1b or greater.
Conclusions: Clinically relevant prostate cancers may be detected in a significant proportion (more than 15%) of men undergoing transurethral resection of the prostate for symptomatic BPH despite prior screening with serum PSA, digital rectal examination and 1 or more systematic needle biopsies of the prostate.