[Efficacy of transrectal ultrasonography in staging prostate cancer]

Clinical staging can be defined as the attempt to determine the pathologic extent of cancer by clinical tests. Accurate preoperative assessment is essential for the appropriate selection of therapy and design of treatment for the individual patients with prostate cancer. Transrectal ultrasonography (TRUS) was initially applied clinically in 1971. It is currently considered an essential tool in the management patients with prostatic disease. More importantly, ultrasound guidance allows accurate sampling of prostatic tissue. However, the role of sonographic imaging itself in diagnosing of tumor extent remains uncertain. In this chapter we will assess critically the present role of ultrasound in staging prostate cancer based on currently available criteria.