Prediction of Significant Prostate Cancer at Prostate Biopsy and Per Core Detection Rate of Targeted and Systematic...

Prostate cancer (PCa) detection is accompanied by overdiagnosis and mischaracterization of PCa. Therefore, new imaging modalities like shear wave elastography (SWE) are required.

The aim of this study was to evaluate per-core detection rates (DRs) of targeted biopsies and systematic biopsies and to test if SWE findings can predict presence of clinically significant PCa (csPCa) at biopsy.

Overall, 95 patients scheduled for prostate biopsy in our center underwent SWE. SWE findings were classified into suspicious or normal. Targeted biopsies were taken in up to 3 SWE-suspicious areas. csPCa was defined as the presence of Gleason pattern ≥4, level of prostate-specific antigen ≥10 ng/ml or >2 positive cores.

Overall DR for csPCa in our study cohort was 40%. Per-core DR for exclusively SWE-targeted cores versus systematic samples cores was 10.5 vs. 8.6% (p = 0.3). In the logistic regression models, individuals with suspicious SWE findings are at 6.4-fold higher risk of harboring csPCa (p = 0.03). Gain in predictive accuracy was 2.3% (0.82 vs. 0.84, p = 0.01).

Presence of suspicious SWE findings is an independent predictor of csPCa. Therefore, SWE may be helpful in selecting patients for biopsy. Nonetheless, per-core DR for SWE-targeted cores was not statistically significant higher than DR of systematic sampled cores. Therefore, additional systematic biopsy is mandatory.