Detection Rate of Prostate Cancer in Repeat Biopsy after an Initial Negative Magnetic Resonance Imaging/Ultrasound-Guided Biopsy

A negative multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (mpMRI)-guided prostate biopsy in patients with suspected prostate cancer (PC) results in clinical uncertainty, as the biopsy can be false negative. The clinical challenge is to determine the optimal follow-up and to select patients who will benefit from repeat biopsy. In this study, we evaluated the rate of significant PC (sPC, Gleason score =7) and PC detection in patients who received a follow-up mpMRI/ultrasound-guided biopsy for persistent PC suspicion after a negative mpMRI/ultrasound-guided biopsy. We identified 58 patients at our institution that underwent repeat targeted biopsy in case of PI-RADS lesions and systematic saturation biopsy between 2014 and 2022. At the initial biopsy, the median age was 59 years, and the median prostate specific antigen level was 6.7 ng/mL. Repeat biopsy after a median of 18 months detected sPC in 3/58 (5%) patients and Gleason score 6 PC in 11/58 (19%). Among 19 patients with a downgraded PI-RADS score at the follow-up mpMRI, none had sPC. In conclusion, men with an initial negative mpMRI/ultrasound-guided biopsy had a high likelihood of not harboring sPC at repeat biopsy (95%). Due to the small size of the study, further research is recommended.