Biopsy result delays? Six weeks and counting

User

Posted 20 Nov 2021 at 09:49

Hi.
The comment below is just to highlight how the results of biopsy could be variable (misleading ?) and also to find out how such variation might be between two biopsies.

My 1st biopsy of 24 core was declared negative but as it did not match with MRI results (t3a) the second biopsy was taken that gave G7 (3+4).
It took 75 days between two biopsy. I wonder how could such a wide results come about? Different urologist, sampling techniques and/or length between two biopsies?

Thanks

User

Posted 20 Nov 2021 at 10:07

My sincere sympathies on having to have a second biopsy Fred. While I found the biopsy itself was relatively painless, I had complications due to blood clots that put me in hospital for a few days. I am not keen on getting another one.

Your question is a good one and I'm sorry I can't answer it. I'm surprised the urologist did not address this.

Have you called the Prostate Cancer UK's Specialist Nurses? (0800 074 8383). In my experience they were very helpful (and sympathetic).

Stephen

User

Posted 20 Nov 2021 at 10:21

Very sorry to hear you fell through the cracks. I think this is happening a lot - and IMHO this is due to the underlying structure of care being chronically underfunded for many years so that by the time we reached the end of 2019, things were stretched to the point where holes were appearing. Then along came Covid and the holes got bigger.

For example, in 2018 and 2019 several studies showed there was a "drastic shortage" of pathologists, especially histopathologists (the ones who analyse biopsy samples). Fast forward to 2021 and all it takes is for one uro-pathologist to be off work to delay results by months. As my urologist said on Wednesday, roughly translated: "you can't buy a pathologist right now. even if you have a lot of money."

One of the main implications for patients is that we have to our own health advocates, unafraid to speak up, but also prepared to reach out and ask for help. (For me, just posting in this forum has helped me maintain perspective and some level of hope.)

Good luck on December 21.

Edited by member 20 Nov 2021 at 10:22 | Reason: Not specified

User

Posted 20 Nov 2021 at 17:10

I am wondering, Fred, whether the first biopsy you had was under a local anaesthetic and the second one under a general? The reason I ask that is that my first biopsy in June was a local one and though it found cancer (some grade 2 but mostly grade 1) it was only found in a small area of my prostate (3 out of 13 cores). When I had the second biopsy under a general anaesthetic in September it found that the cancer was throughout my prostate (16 out of 19 cores). The cancer was still , fortunately mostly grade 1 with some grade 2.

Ivan

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