A prostate biopsy is the removal of tiny samples of prostate tissue to examine it for signs of prostate cancer.
The prostate is a small, walnut-sized gland just under the bladder. It wraps around the urethra, the tube that carries urine out of the body. The prostate makes semen, the fluid that carries sperm.
Alternative Names
Prostate gland biopsy; Transrectal prostate biopsy; Fine needle biopsy of the prostate; Core biopsy of the prostate; Targeted prostate biopsy; Prostate biopsy - transrectal ultrasound (TRUS); Stereotactic transperineal prostate biopsy (STPB)
How the Test is Performed
There are three main ways to perform a prostate biopsy.
Transrectal prostate biopsy - through the rectum. This is the most common method.
- You will be asked to lie still on your left side with your knees bent.
- The health care provider will insert a finger-sized ultrasound probe into your rectum. You may feel a little discomfort or pressure.
- The ultrasound allows the provider to see images of the prostate. Using these images, the provider will inject a numbing medicine around the prostate.
- Then, using ultrasound to guide the biopsy needle, the provider will insert the needle into the prostate to take a sample. This may cause a brief stinging sensation.
- About 10 to 18 samples will be taken. They will be sent to the lab for examination.
- The entire procedure will take about 10 minutes.
Other prostate biopsy methods are used, but not very often. These include:
Transurethral - through the urethra.
- You will receive medicine to make you sleepy so you do not feel pain.
- A flexible tube with a camera on the end (cystoscope) is inserted through the opening of the urethra at the tip of the penis.
- Tissue samples are gathered from the prostate through the scope.
Perineal - through perineum (the skin between the anus and the scrotum).
- You will receive medicine to make you sleepy so you do not feel pain.
- A small cut is made in the perineum.
- A needle is inserted to collect prostate tissue.
