Dr. Crawford Discusses Prostate Cancer Biopsies

E. David Crawford, MD, professor, Urologic and Radiation Oncology, head, Section of Urologic Oncology, University of Colorado at Denver, discusses prostate cancer biopsies.

Normally, cancers are diagnosed through PET and CT scans but prostate cancer is diagnosed through biopsies. In prostate cancer, Crawford says, physicians are primarily concerned with the grade and amount of cancer in the prostate, as these factors guide treatment.

Instead of relying solely on results of transrectal biopsies, patients who are deemed low-risk are given mapping biopsies. These mapping biopsies are done under the scrotum, at 5mm intervals up to 100 times, Crawford says. These biopsies are then labeled and put into a computer program that creates a 3D rendering of the prostate. Crawford says this allows physicians to monitor cancer growth in order to determine if further treatment is needed.