Diagnosis and Staging

Diagnosis. If your screening tests return abnormal results, further diagnostic testing must be undertaken. A biopsy (taking tissue samples) is the only effective diagnostic procedure. At The Lacks Cancer Center, our urologists employ minimally invasive transrectal biopsy techniques in the diagnosis of prostate cancer. This procedure is performed in the urologist’s office under local anesthesia (deadening of specific parts of the body) and does not require hospitalization. Using accurate ultrasound guidance, a thin needle is inserted through the rectum into the prostate and a small tissue sample is removed. Our skilled pathologists then examine the tissue to determine if cancer is present. Occasionally, if the rectum is abnormal or absent, this needle will be inserted through the skin between the scrotum and anus to obtain biopsy samples. (This procedure is performed at The Lacks Cancer Center under general anesthetic.)

Staging. If the presence of prostate cancer is confirmed during diagnostic testing, additional staging tests may be done to determine if the cancer cells have spread to other parts of the body. In patients with prostate cancer, staging studies are not done if the patient is at low risk for metastatic (wide spread of) disease. In such low risk patients, staging tests can actually provide misleading information, which could delay appropriate treatment or lead to unnecessary biopsies. In high-risk patients, however, staging studies become essential in the planning of more complex treatments.

The following tests and procedures may be used in the staging process:

• CT Scan. Also known as computed tomography, computerized tomography or computerized axial tomography, this procedure involves a series of highly detailed x-ray "slices" of the body.
• Radionuclide Bone Scan. This procedure determines if there are rapidly dividing cells, such as cancer cells, in the bone. A very small amount of radioactive material is injected into a vein, travels through the bloodstream to collect in the bones and is recorded by a scanner.

To schedule a biopsy or advanced diagnostic services such as the CT or Radionuclide bone scan simply ask your primary care physician for a referral or make a self-referral by calling 1-877-LACKS-MI.