Obtaining 16 cores is better than obtaining 12 cores for prostate cancer detection

the Oncology Nurse Advisor take:

A research team from Japan found that 16-core biopsy has a slightly higher detection rate than 12-core biopsy. The researchers obtained prostate biopsies from 332 men with prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels ranging from 4.0 to 20.0 ng/mL. All the patients underwent transrectal ultrasound-guided needle biopsy. The number of biopsy cores taken reflected local protocols. Men in the 16-core group were significantly younger and had higher PSA levels than the men in the 12-core group. Prostate cancer was detected in 33.8% of men in the 12-core group and in 44.5% of those in the 16-core group. However, 16-core biopsy found more cancer than 12-core biopsy in two subgroups of men. Anatomical distribution of detected cancers did not differ; neither did the pathological tumor grade or proportion of cancers that were deemed to be clinically insignificant. Periprocedural risks and complications were similar in the two groups of men.