The novel minimally invasive prostate biopsy treatment, which UC San Diego Health is the only health system in San Diego County to offer, lowers the risk of infection, increases imaging for precision, and might increase cancer detection in a clinic setting.
The treatment, known as a transperineal biopsy, uses 3D MRI fusion guided technology to highlight prostate cancer. It is the most recent addition to a long line of cutting-edge resources employed at UC San Diego Health to diagnose urological cancer. If a prostate-specific antigen blood test was elevated and/or a digital rectal exam was concerning, a transrectal biopsy used to be the usual procedure to test for prostate cancer.
A doctor inserts a biopsy needle during a transrectal biopsy.the prostate through the rectal walls. The perineum, a region of skin between the base of the scrotum and the rectum, is where a transperineal biopsy travels in order to avoid the rectum. This is significant because going through the rectum raises the danger of contaminating the prostate with bacteria and feces. According to the American Urological Association, patients who undergo transrectal biopsies are given antibiotics to reduce the likelihood of infection, which is estimated to be between 1 and 2%. However, because the infection rate is so low, antibiotics are often not required for transperineal biopsies or are only used in small amounts.
The 3D MRI fusion guided technique also improves the ability to detect probable prostate cancer.
We can combine MRI results with ultrasound data. Aditya Bagrodia, MD, an associate professor of urology at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine and a urologic oncologist at UC San Diego Health, explained that imaging would provide a three-dimensional view of the prostate. This increases imaging precision and enables us to target any worrisome areas, including locations that are challenging to access using transrectal techniques.
Out of more than 4,500 hospitals nationally, UC San Diego Health is placed 20th for cancer, among the nation’s top 50 programs, in the 2022–2023 U.S. News & World Report “Best Hospitals” survey. The only Comprehensive Cancer Center in San Diego County and the highest designation a U.S. cancer center may receive is Moores Cancer Center at UC San Diego Health.
