An optimized prostate biopsy strategy in patients with a unilateral lesion on prostate magnetic resonance imaging avoids unnecessary biopsies

Regional Versus Systematic Biopsy in Addition to Targeted Biopsy: Results from a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

Intensification of targeted biopsy (TBx) around a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-visible lesion with regional biopsy (RBx) could obviate the need for systematic biopsy (SBx). We aimed to compare the detection yields of clinically significant prostate cancer (csPCa)-defined as International Society of Urological Pathology (ISUP) grade group ≥2-between TBx + RBx and the reference standard (TBx + SBx).

METHODS

RBx was defined as perilesional or ipsilateral biopsy. A literature search was conducted up to September 2023 using PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science databases. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were followed. Included studies were eligible when presenting data from SBx, TBx, and TBx + RBx cores and their detection yields. The Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies (QUADAS-2) criteria were used to assess the risk of bias of the included studies.

KEY FINDINGS AND LIMITATIONS

Twenty-one studies were included for a meta-analysis. The overall detection yield of csPCa was not statistically different between TBx + SBX and TBx + RBx (46.1% vs 44.2%; odds ratio [OR] 1.07, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.99-1.16, p = 0.07); similar findings were found also for ISUP grade group ≥3 prostate cancer (PCa; OR 1.06, 95% CI 0.92-1.22, p = 0.43) and in different subgroup analyses. TBx + SBx was associated with higher cancer detection of ISUP grade group 1 PCa (OR 1.16, 95% CI 1.04-1.30, p = 0.008). The main limitations include the retrospective nature of most of the selected studies, heterogeneity of RBx definition, and template.

CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS

Our study supports the use of the TBx + RBx template in the early detection pathway for the detection of csPCa. SBx can be omitted when targeting lesions visible on MRI.

PATIENT SUMMARY

A prostate biopsy strategy consisting of taking biopsy in and around an magnetic resonance imaging-visible lesion reduces the risk of detecting indolent prostate cancers without affecting the detection of aggressive tumours.

Optimizing the strategies to perform prostate biopsy in MRI-positive patients: a systematic review and network meta-analysis

Background

Early detection of prostate cancer (PCa) is crucial for better patient outcomes. However, due to overdiagnosis with the current biopsy strategy, there is a need to improve and refine the biopsy strategy. The aim of this study was to thoroughly evaluate existing biopsy schemes for patients with suspicious lesions.

Methods

This study conducted a systematic review and network meta-analysis following PRISMA guidelines (from their start until 15 January 2025), evaluating 13 biopsy schemes for detecting PCa in MRI-positive (PIRADS/Likert score 2-5) patients. Data from PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane databases were examined to assess the efficacy of biopsy schemes in detecting clinically significant (csPCa) and clinically insignificant (ciPCa) prostate cancer. This study is registered with PROSPERO (CRD42024551971).

Findings

The analysis included 211 studies involving 74,113 individuals. When compared with the combination of systematic biopsy (SB, defined as <20 cores) and targeted biopsy (TB, defined as <6 cores) (SB+TB), ipsilateral SB with TB (ips-SB+TB) and saturation TB did not show statistically significant inferior detection rate of csPCa (ips-SB+TB: RR 0.95, 95% CrI 0.88, 1.02; saturation TB: RR 0.96, 95% CrI 0.91, 1.01). Meanwhile, there was no significant difference in csPCa detection rates for saturation SB+TB, SB+saturation TB compared to SB+TB (saturation SB+TB: RR 1.04, 95% CrI 0.98, 1.11; SB+saturation TB: RR 1.14, 95% CrI 0.999, 1.30). TB and SB alone detected significantly less csPCa than SB+TB (TB: RR 0.86, 95% CrI 0.84, 0.88; SB: RR 0.75, 95% CrI 0.73, 0.77). Saturation SB also did not show significant superiority in detecting csPCa. Additionally, saturation TB and ips-SB+TB also decrease the detection of ciPCa. (ips-SB+TB: RR 0.87, 95% CrI 0.72, 1.04; saturation TB: RR 0.76, 95% CrI 0.65, 0.88).

Interpretation

The network meta-analysis reveals that saturation SB+TB and SB+saturation TB have no significant difference in csPCa detection between them and SB+TB. Meanwhile, ips-SB+TB and saturation TB are effective biopsy strategies for MRI-positive PCa patients, offering a more targeted approach for detecting csPCa.

Funding

The National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant number: 81500522) and Science & Technology Department of Sichuan Province (Grant number: 2020YFS0090, 2020YFS0046) and Cadre Health Research Project of Sichuan Province (Grant number: ZH2023-102).

Performance of MR fusion biopsy, systematic biopsy and combined biopsy on prostate cancer detection rate in 1229 patients stratified by PI-RADSv2 score on 3T multi-parametric MRI

PURPOSE

We analyzed the additional value of systematic biopsy (SB) to MR-Ultrasound fusion biopsy (MRgFbx) for detection of clinically significant prostate cancer (csPCa), as increased sampling may cause increased morbidity.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This retrospective study cohort was comprised of 1229 biopsy sessions between July 2016 and May 2020 in men who had a Prostate Imaging-Reporting and Data System (PI-RADSv2) category ≥ 3 lesion on 3 Tesla multiparametric MRI (3TmpMRI) and subsequent combined biopsy (CB; MRgFbx and SB) for suspected prostate cancer (PCa). Cancer detection rates (CDR) were calculated for CB, MRgFbx and SB in the study cohort and sub-cohorts stratified by biopsy history and PI-RADSv2 category. For 927 men with unilateral MR-visible lesions, SB CDR was additionally calculated for contralateral (SBc) and ipsilateral (SBi) subcohorts.

RESULTS

On CB, the CDR for csPCa was 54.8% (673/1229). CDR for csPCa was significantly higher for MRgFbx (50.0%, CI 47.1-52.8%) compared to SB (35.3%, CI 32.6-38.1%) for all PI-RADSv2 ≥ 3 categories (p < .05). The MRgFbx CDR for PI-RADSv2 categories 3, 4, and 5 were 81.5%, 88.5%, and 95.6% respectively. For unilateral lesion cases, significantly more csPCa was detected in the SBi compared to the SBc subcohort (30.1% (279/927) vs. 10.4%, (96/927), p < 0.001). The combination of MRgFbx and SBi detected csPCa in 97.0% (480) of the 495 csPCa detected by CB.

CONCLUSION

MRgFbx had a higher CDR for csPCa than SB. While CB detected more csPCa than either method alone, in patients with a PI-RADSv2 category of 5, MRgFbx approximated the performance of CB. In unilateral lesion cases, SBc provided minimal added benefit.

Is ipsilateral systematic biopsy combined with targeted biopsy the optimal substitute for bilateral systematic biopsy combined with targeted biopsy: A systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

The current standard prostate biopsy method, which combine systematic biopsy (SB) with targeted biopsy (TB), has shortcomings such as overdiagnosis and overtreatment. To evaluate the effectiveness of ipsilateral systematic biopsy (ips-SB) combined with targeted biopsy (ips-SB+TB) and contralateral SB (con-SB) combined with TB (con-SB+TB) as potential alternatives to SB+TB.

METHODS

A comprehensive literature search was conducted in Cochrane, Embase, Ovid, and PubMed databases until September 2024. 2,732 references were identified, and 11 records were included.

MAIN FINDINGS

The study included a total of 5,249 patients and revealed that ips-SB+TB detected slightly less PCa than SB+TB with a relative risk (RR) of 0.95 (95% CI 0.91, 1.00), P = 0.05. In terms of csPCa detection, ips-SB+TB showed a comparable detection rate with SB+TB (RR 0.98 [95% CI 0.94, 1.01], P = 0.60). There was a statistically significant difference in csPCa detection between con-SB+TB and SB+TB (RR 0.92 [95% CI 0.86, 0.99], P = 0.02). The detection rates of clinically insignificant PCa (ciPCa) were comparable between con-SB+TB vs. SB+TB (con-SB+TB vs. SB+TB: RR 0.90 [95% CI 0.79, 1.04], P = 0.15). However, fewer ciPCa cases were detected in ips-SB+TB compared to SB+TB (RR 0.86 [95% CI 0.75, 0.99], P = 0.04).

CONCLUSIONS

In this review, our analysis highlights ips-SB+TB has the comparable detection efficiency of PCa and csPCa compared to SB+TB, and its potential to be the substitute of the SB+TB with less cores and less detection of ciPCa.

Systematic Prostate Biopsy Versus Perilesional Sampling: If It Isn't Broke, Why Fix It?

The 2024 EAU-EANM-ESTRO-ESUR-ISUP-SIOG guidelines for prostate cancer recommend a targeted and perilesional biopsy (TPLBx) strategy for primary diagnosis. In comparison to the classical approach of combined targeted and systematic biopsy, TPLBx may reduce overdiagnosis of insignificant cancers and mitigate the grade shift associated with targeted biopsy.

The Impact of Omitting Contralateral Systematic Biopsy on the Surgical Planning of Patients with a Unilateral Suspicious Lesion on Magnetic Resonance Imaging Undergoing Robot-assisted Radical Prostatectomy for Prostate Cancer

Background and objective

A combined approach of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-targeted biopsy (TBx) and bilateral systematic biopsy (SBx) is advised in patients who have an increased risk of prostate cancer (PCa). The diagnostic gain of SBx in detecting PCa for treatment planning of patients undergoing robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP) is unknown. This study aims to determine the impact of omitting contralateral SBx on the surgical planning of patients undergoing RARP in terms of nerve-sparing surgery (NSS) and extended pelvic lymph node dissection (ePLND).

Methods

Case files from 80 men with biopsy-proven PCa were studied. All men had a unilateral suspicious lesion on MRI, and underwent TBx and bilateral SBx. Case files were presented to five urologists for the surgical planning of RARP. Each case file was presented randomly using two different sets of information: (1) results of TBx + bilateral SBx, and (2) results of TBx + ipsilateral SBx. The urologists assessed whether they would perform NSS and/or ePLND.

Key findings and limitations

A change in the surgical plan concerning NSS on the contralateral side was observed in 9.0% (95% confidence interval [CI] 6.4-12.2) of cases. Additionally, the indication for ePLND changed in 5.3% (95% CI 3.3-7.9) of cases. Interobserver agreement based on Fleiss' kappa changed from 0.44 to 0.15 for the indication of NSS and from 0.84 to 0.83 for the indication of ePLND.

Conclusions and clinical implications

In our series, the diagnostic information obtained from contralateral SBx has limited impact on the surgical planning of patients with a unilateral suspicious lesion on MRI scheduled to undergo RARP.

Patient summary

In patients with one-sided prostate cancer on magnetic resonance imaging, omitting biopsies on the other side rarely changed the surgical plan with respect to nerve-sparing surgery and the indication to perform extended lymph node dissection.