Does the Consultant phone or ask you to come in?

JPM

You can't change what is , so stay positive. How old are you. 

Thanks Chris

The MRI can predict likelihood of cancer but not with certainty - we have had men on here recently who were given a 5 (certain and significant cancer) who subsequently got the all clear, men with a 2 (unlikely to be cancer) whose biopsy pulled out quite high grade cancer and men whose MRI was clear although it turned out there was quite a lot of cancer in their prostate.

So I guess the 'bad news' tomorrow would be if the doc says "there is a suspicious area(s) on the MRI so I am going to recommend that you have a biopsy." But to be honest, many urologists would be just as likely to say "the MRI was clear but I am going to recommend you have a biopsy just to confirm everything is okay."

Good luck!

I think the best approach is to:-

- remember that whatever the MRI saw is not God-given truth but is usually a good indicator
- don't be fobbed off with a quick 'we will look again in 6 or 12 months' unless the MRI was totally clear
- understand before you go tomorrow what the different biopsies are so that you can make a reasoned judgment about whether that biopsy is the right one for you

BIOPSIES - 3 types
- TRUS - unless they know where they are aiming (e.g. because of the MRI), this is the equivalent of sticking a needle in a fruit cake & hoping to spear the cherry. If they know where the suspect area is, TRUS biopsy is quicker & cheaper than the others, doesn't need a general anaesthetic, isn't done in an operating theatre and therefore may be more available during COVID. Biopsies are taken through the bowel wall.
- image guided transperineal - uses a live scan to help aim the needles at the suspect areas - can be done with local anaesthetic so possibly more available than template biopsy during COVID. Biopsies are taken through the skin between your scrotum & anus.
- template biopsy - until recently, always done under general anaesthetic although some NHS trusts have started doing it under local or spinal block instead and this may be becoming more common now that so many operating theatres / recovery rooms have been converted to COVID ICU rooms. Many samples are taken, so a better option than TRUS if the MRI was clear (no suspicious areas) or they aren't absolutely sure where to target. Like the image guided, biopsies are taken between your scrotum & anus.

https://prostatecanceruk.org/prostate-information/prostate-tests/prostate-biopsy

He did add that 1 in 7 cases that come back as clear are hiding something nasty so he's suggested another PSA test in 3 months and then meeting him at a clinic to discuss. But his main/probably diagnosis is BPH.

Great to read! Thanks for sharing