Efficacy of prostatic fossa biopsy in detecting local recurrence after radical prostatectomy

To evaluate retrospectively the efficacy of prostatic fossa biopsy in detecting local recurrence of prostate cancer in men with biochemical failure after radical prostatectomy.

Between January 1997 and December 2002, 100 men without prior adjuvant therapy after radical prostatectomy underwent transrectal ultrasound (TRUS)-guided biopsy of the prostatic fossa. The TRUS findings, digital rectal examination (DRE) findings, serum total prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level at TRUS, PSA velocity, and pathologic stage and Gleason score of the radical prostatectomy specimen were correlated with the biopsy results.

Overall, 29 (29%) of the 100 men who underwent biopsy had documented local recurrence. The sensitivity and specificity of DRE to detect biopsy-proven local recurrence was 72.4% and 64.8%, respectively. The corresponding values for TRUS were 86.2% and 53.5%. None of the men with a serum PSA concentration of less than 0.5 ng/mL at biopsy who had normal results for both TRUS and DRE had a biopsy-proven local recurrence. By stepwise multivariate logistic regression analysis, abnormal TRUS findings and serum PSA concentration at biopsy were independent predictors for positive fossa biopsy results. The combination of TRUS and serum PSA concentration was the best predictive model for a positive fossa biopsy result.

Prostatic fossa biopsy should be avoided in patients with both or either normal DRE or TRUS findings when the PSA level is less than 0.5 ng/mL.