Are repeat biopsies required in men with PSA levels < or =4 ng/ml?
Department of Urology University of Vienna, Währinger Gürtel 18-20, A-1090 Vienna, Austria. bdjavan@hotmail.com OBJECTIVES: Pathological and biochemical features of prostate cancers detected on repeat biopsies in men with total PSA level between 2.0 and 4 ng/ml were evaluated and compared to those cancers detected on first biopsy. METHODS: 315 men with PSA level between 2.0 and 4 ng/ml underwent transrectal ultrasound guided sextant biopsy and two additional transition zone biopsies (Octant Biopsy). All subjects whose biopsy samples were negative for prostate cancer underwent a repeat biopsy after 6 weeks. Those with clinically localized cancers were offered surgery or radiation therapy. Pathological and clinical features of patients diagnosed with prostate cancer on initial and repeat biopsy were compared. RESULTS: Cancer detection rates on first and second biopsy were 24% (75/315) and 13% (29/224), respectively. Overall, of patients with clinically localized disease (83% of cancers