New method may reduce prostate biopsies

PHILADELPHIA, May 27 (UPI) -- A special ultrasound technique that can spot areas of blood flow in the prostate may reduce unnecessary biopsies, U.S. researchers said.

Researchers at Thomas Jefferson University Prostate Diagnostic Center and the Kimmel Cancer Center in Philadelphia said biopsies targeted to areas of increased blood flow in the prostate were twice as likely to be positive for cancer compared with conventional prostate biopsy techniques.

Dr. Edouard Trabulsi and Dr. Ethan Halpern, co-directors of the Jefferson Prostate Diagnostic Center, said the standard method entail simply dividing the prostate into a dozen regions within the gland -- almost randomly.

The researchers randomly divided 63 prostate biopsy patients into two groups. One group was given the drug dutasteride, which can reduce the blood flow in benign prostate tissue, while the other half received a placebo. The study involved 979 biopsies.

"We've previously shown that a two-week course of the drug Avodart -- dutasteride -- before biopsy reduces the benign blood flow, or background noise, allowing us to see subtle flow changes to target for biopsy," the researchers said in a statement.

The trial is continuing, but initial results were presented at the annual meeting of the American Urological Association in Orlando, Fla.