Regular transition zone biopsy during active surveillance for prostate cancer may improve detection of pathological progression

Abstract

Purpose We investigated the frequency of cancer and pathological progression in transition zone biopsies in men undergoing multiple rebiopsies while on active surveillance. Materials and Methods Eligibility criteria of the active surveillance prostate cancer database (1997 to 2012) at our tertiary center includes prostate specific antigen 10 ng/ml or less, cT2 or less, no Gleason grade 4 or 5, 3 or fewer positive cores, no core with greater than 50% involvement, patient age 75 years or less and 1 or more biopsies after initial diagnostic biopsy. We excluded from analysis men with fewer than 10 cores at diagnostic biopsy and/or confirmatory biopsy greater than 24 months after diagnostic biops..