Repeat prostate biopsy in patients with previous negative biopsies

: We retrospectively analyzed the results of 104 patients who underwent a second prostate needle biopsy. Between January 1993 and September 2000, 654 needle biopsies were performed and cancer was found in 239 patients. Among the other 415 patients, 104 patients underwent a second biopsy. The average prostate specific antigen (PSA) value was 9.6 ng/ml (2.0-30.9) (Tandem R conversion value). Cancer was detected in 16 out of 104 cases (15%) at the second biopsy, 4 out of 39 (10%) at the third biopsy, and 3 out of 10 (30%) at the fourth biopsy. The age, PSA value, digital examination, echography, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were not helpful in distinguishing the patients with prostate cancer and atypical histological findings at the previous biopsy were the most important information. Among the 9 patients who showed atypical findings at the previous biopsy, 6 (67%) had cancer.