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Prostate Biopsy

Gilbert123
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Hi, 

I am a 63 year old male and following an MRI scan which identified a Prostate anomaly, I have been advised to go for a targeted biopsy. Background is that I was beginning to urinate more at night, so made an appointment with the GP. Following a DRE, he referred me to a consultant stating that although he did not find any nodules, my prostate appeared to be larger on one side. Following a second DRE by the consultant, he agreed with the GP, but for “belt and braces” recommended an MRI. Today I was contacted by the nurse who advised the MRI identified an anomaly, which needs to be checked via a biopsy. My PSA figure is very very low, and apart from urinating more (particularly at night), I have no other symptoms.


I am getting progressively worried, as clearly I was hoping that the MRI would confirm no further action. Not sure why I am posting this, but I have been trying to see statistics on the number of Prostate Biopsy’s that result in cancer confirmation but can’t find anything on this. Worried that the biopsy stage represents a position that you are “likely” to have cancer?

Grateful for any perspective.

Thank you

  • Hi Gilbert123

    Thank you for getting in touch with us. My name is Lynsay and I am one of the information nurses with Macmillan Cancer Support. I hope you find the online community and helpful and supportive environment.

    I can totally appreciate why you are feeling progressively more worried, as you have now been advised to have a biopsy. You are more than welcome to call us on the support line to chat this through with us. Sometimes it can be helpful having the chance to talk things through, but I am also equally happy to provide some thoughts here for you.

    My first thought was around your PSA result being very very low. It would be good if this low result could provide us with a solid level of reassurance. Unfortunately, some men can experience a raised PSA and not have prostate cancer, while others can have a normal PSA and potentially have prostate cancer. This being the case we can’t really rely on a normal PSA alone, to determine the likelihood of prostate cancer, especially as you have also developed urinary symptoms.

    The MRI scan can give a much more detailed indication of whether there is a need for a further investigation like a targeted biopsy. The MRI image is scored between 1 and 5. This is referred to as a PIRADS score or sometimes it’s called a Likert score.

     A PIRADS score of 1 or 2 means it’s unlikely that you have a prostate cancer that needs to be treated. A score of 3 is a borderline result and means it’s not possible to tell from the image. A score of 4 means it’s likely and a score of 5 means it’s very likely that you have a prostate cancer that needs treated.

    Generally, you would be offered a biopsy with a PIRADS score of 3 or above. With a PIRADS of 1 or 2 it is more likely you would be offered a discussion about the possible advantages and disadvantages of having a biopsy.

    You would be able to request your PIRADS score from the nurse that contacted you about having a biopsy. This would give you more indication of what to potentially expect from the biopsy results

    I have also included a really helpful website called infopool. This website has a tool to guide you through the testing for prostate cancer and provides further information about having a biopsy. This may be useful, and of course as mentioned you are completely welcome to call us for a chat.

    I hope this is helpful.

    All the best

    Lynsay

    Cancer information nurse specialist

    You can also speak with the Macmillan Support Line team of experts. Phone free on 0808 808 0000 (7 days a week, 8am-8pm) or email us. 

  • Thank you Linsay,

        I have managed to process a bit more the info I received yesterday which was quite a shock. I will find out what my PIRADS score is, but I am guessing it’s 3 as the nurse said they could not determine one way or another from the MRI, and described what they found as an “anomaly”.  My biopsy has been scheduled for the 14th March Fingers crossedFingers crossedFingers crossed 

    thank you again for your prompt replyThumbsup

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