Cancer detection and complications of transperineal prostate biopsy with antibiotics when indicated

To describe the prostate cancer (PCa) detection rate, including clinically significant prostate cancer (csPCa), in a large cohort of patients who underwent transperineal ultrasonography-guided systematic prostate biopsy (TPB-US) using a probe-mounted transperineal access system, with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) cognitive fusion in case of a Prostate Imaging-Reporting and Data System grade 3-5 lesion, under local anaesthesia in an outpatient setting. Additionally, to compare the incidence of procedure-related complications with a cohort of patients undergoing transrectal ultrasonography-guided (TRB-US) and transrectal MRI-guided biopsies (TRB-MRI).

This was an observational cohort study in men who underwent TPB-US prostate biopsy in a large teaching hospital. For each participant, prostate-specific antigen level, clinical tumour stage, prostate volume, MRI parameters, number of (targeted) prostate biopsies, biopsy International Society of Uropathology (ISUP) grade and procedure-related complications were assessed. csPCa was defined as ISUP grade ≥2. Antibiotic prophylaxis was only given in those with an increased risk of urinary tract infection.

A total of 1288 TPB-US procedures were evaluated. The overall detection rate for PCa in biopsy-naive patients was 73%, and for csPCa it was 63%. The incidence of hospitalization was 1% in TPB-US (13/1288), compared to 4% in TRB-US (8/214) and 3% in TRB-MRI (7/219; P = 0.002).

Contemporary combined systematic and target TPB-US with MRI cognitive fusion is easy to perform in an outpatient setting, with a high detection rate of csPCa and a low incidence of procedure-related complications.