The unit volume biopsy length in prostate biopsy: Does it matter?

Introduction: Prostate cancer is a significant global health issue. Prostate biopsy remains the gold standard for diagnosis. However, the impact of biopsy tissue length on diagnostic performance remains controversial. This study investigates the relationship between biopsy tissue length and diagnostic efficacy, introducing a new parameter, "unit volume biopsy length," to optimize clinical practice.

Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 301 patients who underwent prostate biopsy. The biopsy tissue length and unit volume biopsy length were compared between patients with positive and negative results, and their impact on the detection rate of prostate cancer was analyzed to obtain the optimal threshold for unit volume biopsy length.

Results: Among the 301 patients, 130 (43.19%) had positive results, while 171 had negative results. The median unit volume biopsy length in the positive group was 0.39 cm/ml, which was significantly higher than that in the negative group (0.28 cm/ml; P＜0.05). When the unit volume biopsy length exceeded 0.39 cm/ml, the detection rate of prostate cancer significantly increased (OR 2.879, 95% CI 1.728-4.796), with positive rates of 58.58% and 32.94% in the groups above and below the threshold, respectively (P＜0.05).

Conclusion: Unit volume biopsy length significantly affects the detection rate of prostate cancer. It is recommended that at least 0.39 cm of biopsy tissue be obtained per milliliter of prostate tissue to ensure adequate screening.