Biopsy and Gleason Grading To Diagnose Prostate Cancer

Prostate cancer diagnosis is completed by biopsy and histological examination of the biopsy specimen by a pathologist. Procedures such as PSA (prostate specific antigen) blood test and DRE (Digital rectal examination); applied in screening are not enough for making a diagnosis of cancer of the prostate. Screening procedures assist simply in identifying individuals who might be suffering from the prostate cancer.

Biopsy

The prostate cancer which begins as a sole tumor and develops outwards begins as multiple small tumors at different places in the prostate gland. Hence during biopsy samples are gathered from different sites in the prostate gland. This is referred to as multiple core biopsy. A minimum of six cores are typically suggested in prostate cancer.

Patients suffering from prostatitis (infection of prostate) are recommended not to undertake biopsy until a course of antibiotics is accomplished, to treat the infection. Patients with importunate high PSA levels but negative biopsies are recommended to undertake a repeat biopsy.
During biopsy a needle is included into the tumor through the perineum, under the direction of ultrasound, and cell specimens are taken from different sites in the prostate gland. Subsequent to the biopsy the samples are tested by the pathologist under the microscope to search for cancer cells

Gleason grading

Cancer cells are different in their morphology from normal prostate gland cells. The degree to which they are different from the normal cell is what settles on the cancer grade. The most generally followed technique of grading cancer of prostate is gleason grading.

The higher the gleason grading the more aggressive the tumor is possible to be and also more probable to extend to other areas of the body.

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