Systematic biopsy-based staging of prostate cancer: scientific background, individual variables, combination of...

Staging of the prostate cancer remains the mainstay of treatment decisions and prognostication. Multiple staging tests, which are currently available, fail to provide optimal staging accuracy in the management of prostate cancer. Systemic biopsy can provide useful data regarding bilaterality, Gleason grade, cancer map, perineural infiltration, tumor volume, percentage cancer and microvessel density. We have reviewed existing literature on systematic biopsy in this review. We have further discussed the role of neural network technology in integrating this information.