Initial experience with a novel method for cognitive transperineal magnetic resonance imaging-targeted prostate biopsy

Abstract

A cognitive magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-targeted prostate biopsy conducted by an experienced clinician enhances the detection rate of (high-grade) prostate cancer; however, this method is less successful in the hands of inexperienced surgeons. Therefore, an alternative method of conducting a cognitive MRI-targeted biopsy that can be successfully performed by the inexperienced clinicians should be developed. Ninety-six males suspected of prostate cancer were analyzed using systematic biopsy and cognitive MRI-targeted biopsy based on our novel three-dimensional matrix positioning method. Typically, the core principle of the latter procedure was to put the MRI and ultrasound images into the same virtual coordinate system. Afterward, the targeted biopsy was transformed to target a coordinate for the suspected lesion in the MRI. Subsequently, patients were assessed for the presence/absence of prostate cancer or high-grade prostate cancer. According to our results, the overall detection rate of prostate cancer was 70.8% (68/96), and the detection rate of high-grade prostate cancer was 56.3% (54/96). Specifically, the detection rate of prostate cancer by systematic biopsy was 54.2% (52/96) and that by targeted biopsy was 59.4% (57/96; P = 0.560). Clearly, the combined application of targeted biopsy could remarkably increase the detection rates of prostate cancer (P = 0.025) and high-grade prostate cancer (P = 0.009). Taken together, the findings of this study suggest that the combination of systematic biopsy with our three-dimensional matrix positioning-driven cognitive-targeted biopsy is superior to systematic biopsy in detecting prostate cancer and high-grade prostate cancer.