The following is a summary of “Limitations of Prostate Biopsy in Detection of Cribriform and Intraductal Prostate Cancer,” published in the September 2023 issue of Oncology by Bernardino et al.

Cribriform morphology and intraductal carcinoma (IDC) in prostate biopsy and prostatectomy specimens are associated with poor prognosis and can help guide treatment decisions. Researchers performed a retrospective study to evaluate the accuracy of biopsies in detecting cribriform morphology and IDC cancer by comparing biopsy and prostatectomy samples.

The study included patients with cribriform morphology and/or IDC in their surgical specimens after undergoing radical prostatectomy. They used detection sensitivity to assess the concordance between biopsy and prostatectomy samples for cribriform morphology and IDC.

The outcome demonstrated that out of 287 men with radical prostatectomy, 84% had cribriform morphology, and 56% had IDC on final pathology. Prostate biopsy sensitivity for detecting cribriform morphology was 42.4% (95% CI: 36-49%) and 44.1% (95% CI: 36-52%) for IDC. The sensitivity for detecting IDC or cribriform morphology was 52.5% (95% CI: 47-58%). For patients who underwent MRI-guided biopsies, sensitivity was 54% (95% CI: 39-68%) for cribriform morphology and 37% (95% CI: 19-58%) for IDC.

The study found biopsy was not sensitive enough to detect cribriform morphology and IDC. This should be considered when making clinical decisions. Biomarkers are needed for better detection. 

Source: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37696743/