Who is prostate biopsy for? Prerequisites...

After PSA testing and DRE (Digital Rectal Exam), a prostate biopsy may be required by your doctor, in order to make a correct and as precise as possible diagnostic.

So we may conclude that a biopsy of the prostate is necessary if either the PSA or DRE result is abnormal.

Why is done?

It is performed for two reasons:

1. in order to find the true cause behind the elevated PSA levels.
2. because, as we stated before, the best thing a doctor has when diagnosing his patient, or in the process of staging a cancer, is a portion of living tissue. This is why doctors say that the only time they can be sure aboug the diagnosis and staging is when they have the prostate on the plate, that is in the case of a prostatectomy. The pathologist can only then investigate the prostate in its entirety and draw exact conclusions...

   We can play with PSA levels, blood samples, and joggle with medical concepts and ideas, but until you get the prostate biopsy to the microscope, nothing's for sure. And even then...

Unless you (or your doctor) are a clairvoyant...

How to get ready

Of course, your medical history is very important: past diseases, past or current intake of medications, any heart diseases, alergies (to anything, be it medications, anesthetics, polen, if you have it and know it, say it) and so on.

Also don't forget to mention any medications you might be on at the present.

Other preparation steps could involve:

• Signing a consent form in which you assume all risks involved and declare yourself aware of the implications of the procedure (so you should be informed about all details... this document is intended to help a lot here, and your health professional should be able to provide you with specification for things that are unclear)
• If the prostate biopsy involves local anesthesia through the perineum (area between anus and scrotum), no other preparation is needed.
• If done through the rectum, an enema will be done.
• If done under general anesthesia, refrain from eating or drinking anything for 8 to 12 hours before the biopsy.