[Prostate cancer: palpation versus ultrasonography]

The authors compared in a group of 273 symptomatic patients the effectiveness of palpation and transabdominal USG of the prostate and in a group of 162 patients palpation and transrectal USG of the prostate in diagnosing of prostate carcinoma. Histopathological correlation was available in 203 (74.4%) patients, all of them examined by transrectal USG. From the whole group of 273 patients prostate carcinoma was confirmed in 69 (25.3%). Based on USG examination alone prostate cancer was proved by histopathological methods in three (4.3%) patients with a negative finding on palpation. A disappointment of the USG method was that it did not prove possible to diagnose before operation incidental cancer in 14 (20.3%) patients with BPH. USG made it possible to define more accurately the stage of cancer in groups T2 and T3. The effectiveness was assessed as follows: sensitivity, specificity and total accuracy during palpation was 75.4%, 88.8%, 84.2%, in transabdominal USG: 78.3%, 91.8%, 87.2% and in transrectal USG of the prostated 97.7%, 90.7% and the overall accuracy 92.6%. Despite these results for screening of patients with prostate cancer USG of the prostate can be recommended only after palpation and PSA examination.