MRI-Guided Prostate Biopsy to Diagnose and Stage Prostate Cancer

At Colorado Springs Urology, your care team uses MRI-guided prostate biopsies to diagnose and stage prostate cancer. You may undergo this type of biopsy if you have elevated PSA levels or other indications of prostate cancer. The types of MRI-guided prostate biopsies include multiparametric MRI (mpMRI) and fusion-guided biopsies, which combine MRI and ultrasound imaging.

• MRI-guided prostate biopsy assists in diagnosing, staging, and treating prostate cancer.
• MRI and ultrasound-guided technology are used to collect tissue samples (biopsy) from the prostate gland.
• A pathologist examines these tissue samples under a high-powered microscope to check for cancer cells.

If you have prostate cancer, the biopsy results help your healthcare team develop the most effective treatment plan.

The test can also help your provider diagnose or rule out noncancerous (benign) conditions that cause signs or symptoms like prostate cancer, such as an elevated PSA blood test. These conditions include:

• Enlarged prostate (benign prostatic enlargement/hyperplasia or BPE/BPH)
• Prostatitis (infection, inflammation, and pain in the prostate gland)

Your healthcare provider may perform an MRI-guided prostate biopsy if a blood test shows elevated PSA (prostate-specific antigen) levels. You may also need this type of biopsy if your provider feels a bump or complex area on the prostate gland during a digital rectal exam (DRE) or if you have a suspicious MRI. These changes can be signs of prostate cancer or a noncancerous problem.

Some benefits of this treatment include:

• MRI provides clearer, more detailed images of the prostate gland compared to ultrasound technology.
• MRI can better identify potentially cancerous areas that may require biopsy and possibly treatment.
• MRI and mpMRI may reduce the number of biopsies you need.
• mpMRI is more successful at detecting prostate cancer than a standard MRI.