Procedure for Transurethral Prostate Cancer Biopsy

The prostate gland is part of the male reproductive system. About the size of a walnut, it is located below the bladder and in front of the rectum. It is responsible for making semen, the fluid which carries sperm through the penis. This gland wraps around the urethra, the tube which passes urine from the bladder through the penis. If the prostate begins to grow it can decrease or even stop the flow of urine through the urethra.

Transurethral Resection of the Prostate

• Transurethral resection of the prostate is commonly called a TURP. During this surgical procedure part of the prostate gland is removed. This may be to collect a biopsy for diagnosis of prostate cancer either because of symptoms or concern over elevated prostate specific antigen, PSA, values.

  If a cancerous tumor is already known to be present, it may be performed to provide temporary relief of tumor symptoms until more radical treatment can be performed or as an alternative to radical surgery due to illness, age or other complicating factors.

  Under anesthesia, a lightweight flexible tube is passed up through the urethra. A surgical tool is passed up through the tube in the penis to the prostate gland. An electrical current passes through the tool, heating and cutting the prostate tissue which needs to be removed. How much tissue is removed depends upon the original objective. Tissue is sent to a pathologist for examination under a microscope to determine whether it contains cancer cells.

After Surgery

• Recovery time is dependent upon many factors, including your age and overall health going into surgery. It is reasonable to expect discomfort. You will be given medications to help control pain while you heal.

  To deal with the swelling and healing, you will wake up with a catheter, a tube which passes from your bladder through your penis to drain urine. Some blood in your urine is expected.

  Although surgeons attempt to preserve nerve function, a frequent consequence of a TURP is nerve damage around the prostate resulting in impotency, the inability to have an erection. This may be permanent. In addition, there imay be loss of ability to produce semen. This means sperm can no longer be ejaculated. It is not unusual to lose control of urine after a TURP. Control may come back over time.

Prostate cancer

• If malignant cells are discovered during a biopsy, further treatment will be necessary. If malignant cells break away from a prostate tumor, the cancer can spread. Nearby tissue or organs can become invaded and damaged. Spread through the blood or lymph systems to other areas, called metastasis, can become life threatening. According to the National Cancer Institute, in 2009 there were over 192,000 new cases of prostate cancer in the United States. This represents one in every six men, according to the American Cancer Society, making it the second most common cancer in men.