Prostate-Specific Antigen Density to Select Magnetic Resonance Imaging-Targeted vs Combined Biopsy for Prostate...

The addition of systematic prostate biopsy enhances the detection of clinically significant prostate cancer compared with MRI-targeted biopsy alone. However, there is growing interest in using only MRI-targeted biopsy. We sought to evaluate PSA density (PSAD) as an adjunctive predictor of clinically significant prostate cancer detection in men undergoing combined biopsy and as a potential metric to stratify which patients may reasonably avoid systematic biopsies in favor of MRI-targeted biopsy only.

Men with elevated PSA and/or abnormal digital rectal examination found to have an MRI-visible prostate lesion underwent MRI-targeted and systematic prostate biopsy. Primary outcomes were clinically significant cancer detection rates by MRI-targeted, systematic biopsy, and combined biopsy across 4 discrete PSAD intervals (<0.1, ≥0.1 and <0.15, ≥0.15 and <0.2, and ≥0.2 ng/mL/cm³). Secondary outcomes were the added value of systematic biopsy relative to MRI-targeted biopsy alone.

Among men with Prostate Imaging Reporting and Data System ≥ 2 lesions, as PSAD surpassed each interval, the rate of grade group ≥ 3 cancer detection approximately doubled (<0.1: 9.3%, ≥0.1 and <0.15: 18.2%, ≥0.15 and <0.2: 36%, and ≥0.2: 61.2%). For PSAD ≥ 0.2, added detection of clinically significant cancer with systematic biopsy was low (2%, 95% CI: 0.4%-5.9%).

Given an approximate doubling in grade group ≥ 3 cancer detection on combined biopsy with rising PSAD intervals, clinicians may consider PSAD in risk stratifying men at high risk of clinically significant prostate cancer. Clinicians may consider omitting systematic biopsy for targeted biopsy of MRI-visible lesions in patients with PSAD ≥ 0.2 ng/mL/cm³, as systematic biopsy results in low rates of additional clinically significant cancer detection.