Prostate biopsy
An advanced method of taking tissue samples from your prostate, that allows your consultant to accurately diagnose prostate cancer and plan treatment.
- Accurate diagnosis of prostate cancer
- Planning what treatment you need
- Same-day discharge after your procedure
Birmingham Prostate Clinic are a team of leading urologists and oncologists, who specialise in diagnosing and treating prostate, bladder and kidney conditions.
Our consultants are experienced in using a range of the latest diagnostics for prostate cancer, including the gold-standard template biopsy and the new fusion biopsy.
Why might I need a template prostate biopsy?
A template biopsy takes samples of your prostate and is a relatively new way of accurately assessing your prostate for cancer. A biopsy is only considered when there’s a high chance that you have prostate cancer, usually based on the results from:
How does it work?
Very small samples are taken from your prostate to check for cancer. It’s called a template biopsy because it uses a grid to take precise samples from your prostate. This helps your consultant to pinpoint specific locations on the prostate to collect samples from.
Are there other types of prostate biopsy?
At Birmingham Prostate Clinic, the template biopsy and the fusion biopsy are the main techniques we recommend.
- A template biopsy can take many samples from across the prostate with a high level of precision
- A fusion biopsy combines images from your scans to take precise samples from areas of concern in the prostate
A traditional biopsy technique called a TRUS biopsy is another type of biopsy that may be used. This method has a slightly higher risk of infections because the biopsy is taken through the rectum, so it’s only offered in certain cases.
Do I need a prostate biopsy?
Our consultants only recommend a biopsy if there’s a high chance you have prostate cancer. This is because a biopsy is an invasive procedure that can sometimes cause side effects.
You’ll have other tests first to assess your risk of cancer, including a PSA blood test, prostate exam, and an MRI.
The expertise of your consultant, combined with these detailed tests, means that we recommend a biopsy when we think it is likely that you have prostate cancer.
What do the results tell my specialist?
The template prostate biopsy can tell your consultant many important things about your condition.
As well as confirming if you have if you have prostate cancer, your biopsy results can:
- See how likely your cancer is to spread
- See how fast it’s growing
- Spot cancer at an earlier stage
- Help your consultant decide which treatments are best for you
Our consultants are here to help you understand your options for prostate cancer after your biopsy results, with seamless patient pathways to some of the latest treatments for prostate cancer.
“Men who have to endure repeated biopsies face great uncertainty and anxiety. The template biopsy is a very promising and important development for this group of patients.”
– Mr Alan Doherty, Clinical Director, Birmingham Prostate Clinic
Why choose Birmingham Prostate Clinic?
We are a large group of urologists and oncologists here with specialist advice and seamless care pathways, including the template biopsy for prostate cancer.
Our consultants know how important it is to receive personalised prostate cancer care. This means considering what matters to you – whether that’s being close to home, minimising side effects, and getting the best possible outcomes.
Having a template biopsy
For your biopsy, you’ll have a general anaesthetic, which means you’ll be asleep and won’t feel any pain during the procedure.
The consultant is guided by the images from your MRI scan, which show the prostate in great detail. The template helps make sure samples are taken from the correct locations to diagnose your prostate condition.
Using ultrasound for guidance, tiny needles are passed through the perineum (the space between the anus and testicles) and take small samples of prostate tissue.
The samples are sent to a laboratory where they look for cancer cells under the microscope. If cancer is found, they can tell your consultant how fast it’s growing and how likely it is to spread.
The template biopsy procedure takes approximately 20 minutes.
What are the risks of this procedure?
Like any invasive procedure, having a template biopsy can cause some side effects.
These can include:
- A sore perineum
- Small amounts of blood in the urine, stool or semen
- A urine infection
- Temporary difficulty getting an erection
- Urine retention (unable to urinate)
You’re unlikely to have serious side effects from a template biopsy, but your consultant will help you understand how you might be affected.
