MRI Targeted Prostate Biopsy Techniques: AJR Expert Panel Narrative Review

Area of Science:

• Urology
• Oncology
• Radiology

Background:

• Prostate cancer is a leading global malignancy in men.
• Systematic transrectal biopsy is the standard diagnostic method.
• MRI-targeted biopsy shows promise for detecting more clinically significant prostate cancers.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review and compare three MRI-targeted prostate biopsy techniques.
• To outline the advantages and disadvantages of each technique.
• To summarize current evidence on MRI-guided biopsy efficacy.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing literature on MRI-targeted prostate biopsy.
• Description of cognitive biopsy, MRI-ultrasound fusion biopsy, and MRI in-bore biopsy.
• Comparison of techniques based on transrectal and transperineal approaches.

Main Results:

• MRI-targeted biopsy identifies more clinically significant cancers compared to systematic biopsy.
• Each technique (cognitive, fusion, in-bore) has unique benefits and drawbacks.
• Evidence comparing techniques is heterogeneous, with ongoing debate on the preferred method.

Conclusions:

• MRI-targeted biopsy is increasingly adopted as a standard of care.
• The choice of MRI-targeted biopsy technique may vary.
• Further research is needed to establish definitive superiority among techniques.