Customized Prostate Health Evaluation

To learn more about the advanced 3D prostate cancer biopsy, watch this video.

Continue reading our guide below to learn more about prostate health evaluations or jump directly to the section that interests you most:

• When Do You Need a Prostate Health Evaluation?
• Traditional Prostate Cancer Diagnostic Tests
• New Prostate Cancer Diagnostic Tests
• Tests to Measure Biomarkers for Prostate Cancer
  • Advanced 3D Prostate Cancer Biopsy
  • How a 3D Prostate Cancer Biopsy Works
• Benefits of 3D Prostate Cancer Biopsy
• When to Consider a 3D Prostate Cancer Biopsy
• How to Obtain a Prostate Health Evaluation or 3D Prostate Cancer Biopsy

 

When Do You Need a Prostate Health Evaluation?

The thought of prostate cancer can be scary. Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer in men and the second leading cause of cancer death in men. But the fact is that the majority of men will die with prostate cancer present, but they will not die because of prostate cancer.

Sound confusing? It can be and that’s why we believe every man needs—and deserves—a customized prostate health evaluation. This is especially true for men who have had a prostate specific antigen screening, also called a PSA test, and have received a result of 1.5 ng/ML or higher.

Whether you will develop prostate cancer and whether it should be treated—and the best way to treat prostate cancer—is a complicated decision. Often that decision is made based on two tests: a PSA test and a traditional prostate cancer biopsy that looks at six to 12 tiny samples of prostate tissue.

A prostate health evaluation is much more extensive and is customized to each man. A prostate health evaluation takes a comprehensive look at all of the factors that influence a man’s prostate health, including:

• Family history
• Age
• Race
• Weight and diet
• Activity and exercise levels
• Testosterone levels

In addition, a personal prostate health evaluation may include a new category of tests that measure the level of biomarkers for prostate cancer in a man’s blood and urine. These tests are essential if you have received a PSA test result of 1.5 or above. But they also are useful for men who have any of prostate cancer risk factors listed above.

At Precision Prostate Cancer Center, we do not believe that men should wait until age 50 to think about their prostate health. Like any other health issue, the seeds of prostate cancer may be planted early in your life through lifestyle choices or genetics. We recommend that men of every age consider a personalized prostate health evaluation and that they also consider regular PSA testing beginning before age 50.

Traditional Prostate Cancer Diagnosis Tests

Men who receive a high PSA test result or have a suspicious prostate exam are often referred for further evaluation by their primary care physician or urologist. The most common tests that have been used for decades and are still the most predominant prostate cancer tests all have significant limitations that can be overcome with advanced 3D prostate cancer biopsy and tests that measure prostate tissue samples for biomarkers for prostate cancer.

Commonly used prostate cancer diagnostic tests and their limitations include:

• Transrectal ultrasound (TRUS): This technique uses high-frequency sound waves that are directed toward the body and detected by a special probe when they bounce back — similar to the system used by bats to direct their flight. Ultrasound can be used to view the size, outline, structure, and pathological lesions of internal organs. This diagnostic technique can identify the anatomical borders of lesions in the prostate but cannot discriminate between benign (non-cancerous) and malignant (cancerous) tissue. TRUS used alone cannot detect prostate cancer any better than a digital rectal exam or PSA test. Because of these limitations and the high cost, it is mainly used to aid in guided needle biopsy.
• Conventional core-needle biopsy: During a traditional prostate biopsy, a urologist collects six to 12 cylindrical tissue samples from the prostate gland through a fine needle inserted through the rectum or perineum, often guided by ultrasound. The samples are examined under a microscope for signs of cancer. While this type of biopsy can detect the presence of prostate cancer, the limited number of samples can result in findings that over or under-represent the extent of cancer. For example, the samples may include cancer cells but that cancer may be confined to just a small area that the needle happened to hit, but the sample would indicate widespread prostate cancer. Likewise, the needles could miss prostate cancer that is occurring outside the sample area. The small amount of tissue analyzed also leads to inaccurate Gleason scores.
• Other imaging modalities to detect prostate cancer: Physicians also may use other imaging techniques to examine the prostate, including:
  • Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
  • X-ray computed tomography (CT scan)
  • Positron emission tomography (PET)
  • Single photon emission tomography (SPECT)

Unfortunately, these modalities don’t provide reliable information regarding early cancer identification. However, when used in combination, they have demonstrated some success in the diagnosis of advanced disease, but they sometimes fail to identify small localized prostate cancers.

 

New Prostate Cancer Diagnostic Tests

Two new types of prostate cancer diagnostic testing have recently come on to the scene that significantly improve the detection and analysis of prostate cancer. These tests are:

• Tests to Measure Biomarkers for Prostate Cancer: These tests, called Prostate Cancer Markers or PC Markers, use prostate tissue removed in a biopsy to help assess the grade of the prostate cancer and how likely it is to grow rapidly or spread outside the prostate. These tests also can help assess the likelihood of prostate cancer if a standard core biopsy is negative but the man has elevated PSA levels, particularly if the PSA levels have continued to rise over time. These tests include The Prolaris Test by Myriad Genetics, the Decipher test by GenomeDx Biosciences, the Oncotype DX test by Genomic Health, and the ConfirmMDX test by MDxHealth.
• Advanced 3D prostate cancer biopsy: This advanced prostate cancer biopsy gathers 30 to 90 prostate tissue samples that are then used to produce a 3D model of the prostate gland and pinpoint the location and size of any and all prostate cancer tumors. This type of biopsy has been shown to detect 98 percent of significant cancers within the prostate, and shows exactly where the cancer lies, allowing the surgeon to be able to treat only the area or areas of cancer within the prostate.

 

How 3D Prostate Cancer Biopsy Works

A traditional core needle biopsy takes just six to 12 tissue samples from the prostate. In a 3D prostate cancer biopsy, 30 to 100 prostate tissue sample are obtained to create a map of the entire prostate. This provides the highest accuracy possible and allows physicians to know exactly how much cancer is present and where it is located.

To see how a 3D prostate cancer biopsy is performed, view this video.

A 3D prostate cancer biopsy is performed by accessing the prostate through the skin under the scrotum (transperineally) guided by transrectal ultrasound, TRUS. A grid is placed over the skin and the location of each prostate tissue sample is meticulously recorded. That information is then input into a computer to create a 3D model of the prostate showing the exact location and size of all prostate cancer tumors. Those tissue samples are then analyzed to assess the grade of the prostate cancer tumor. The prostate tissue samples also can be used to conduct tests that measure the presence and levels of biomarkers for prostate cancer, which provides your physician with information that allows him to customize your prostate cancer treatment plan exactly to your cancer.

 

Benefits of 3D Prostate Cancer Biopsy

The 3D prostate cancer biopsy helps provide a much more accurate prostate cancer diagnosis for patients than traditional biopsy, which misses up to a third of all prostate cancers. The 3D prostate cancer biopsy has been shown to detect 98 percent of significant cancers within the prostate. The in-depth level of detail provided by a 3D prostate cancer biopsy, which uses up to 100 tissue samples vs. the standard 12, shows the exact location and size of all prostate cancer tumors within the prostate gland.

Approximately two-thirds of the men who receive a 3D biopsy are given a result that is different than what their initial conventional core biopsies revealed. About one-third of patients who receive a 3D biopsy are candidates for targeted focal cryotherapy. This prostate cancer treatment targets only the cancer cells in the prostate without affecting the rest of the prostate or surrounding nerves and tissue. This prostate cancer treatment has been compared to a lumpectomy that removes just the portion of the breast that is cancerous.

About one-third of patients who receive a 3D prostate cancer biopsy can confidently be recommended for active surveillance; and about one-third will be referred for either prostate cancer surgery or prostate cancer radiation therapy.

The superior accuracy of 3D prostate cancer biopsy offers diagnosis as valid as “post-surgery, whole-mount pathologic specimen” and has demonstrated the highest assessment and accuracy for prostate cancer grading and staging. This provides you with:

• Confidence in making an educated decision to treat the disease vs. active surveillance, leading to increased peace of mind regardless of subsequent treatment.
• Avoiding unnecessary prostate cancer surgery and its associated side effects due to indeterminate biopsy results.
• More accurately targeted radiation therapy, if necessary, based on biopsy results.
• Accurate 3D mapping information to perform Focal Cryotherapy Prostate Cancer Treatment, a targeted therapy that treats only the portion of the prostate affected by cancer.

 

When to Consider a 3D Prostate Cancer Biopsy

There are many different situations in which a man may want or need an advanced 3D prostate cancer biopsy. We recommend that all men obtain a customized prostate health evaluation to determine the appropriate next steps. PC markers—tests that measure biomarkers for prostate cancer in blood, urine, and tissue – may indicate that a prostate cancer biopsy is not needed.

Specific common situations that men typically seek a 3D prostate cancer biopsy include:

• A man receives an elevated PSA test result but a negative standard prostate cancer biopsy.
• A man receives a positive result from a standard prostate cancer biopsy but does not feel confident in the treatment option recommended, or would like to have additional detailed information about his prostate cancer, including the number, location, size and stage of each prostate cancer tumor.
• A man’s PSA levels are increasing over time and/or he has had a positive PC markers test.
• A man has a higher-than-average risk of developing prostate cancer.

Whatever your situation, if you feel you need more information about your cancer and your options, a 3D prostate cancer biopsy can provide you with peace of mind by giving you and your doctor additional detailed and customized information.

 

How to Obtain a Prostate Health Evaluation or 3D Prostate Cancer Biopsy

If you are interested in obtaining a prostate health evaluation, advanced testing for biomarkers for prostate cancer, or a 3D prostate cancer biopsy, you can schedule a free phone consultation to discuss your situation and needs with a clinical specialist at Precision Prostate Cancer Center. We also offer second opinions that can help confirm your doctor’s recommendations or provide you with additional information to consider.

To learn more, schedule a free phone consultation or learn about how to become a patient.

 

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