Alternative Prostate Biopsy
Until the 1980s, prostate biopsies were guided by finger touch, after which a large needle with a pair of cutting blades sliced off three core tissue samples measuring one inch long. Today's modern biopsy techniques and the alternative techniques of the future are mild in comparison.
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Transrectal Ultrasound
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Designed in the 1990s, the transrectal ultrasound, or TRUS, is the only way we have of diagnosing prostate cancer today. An ultrasound-guided imaging technique evaluates the prostate, then a spring-loaded, handheld ultrasound probe, or biopsy gun, fires small needles through the rectum into the prostate gland. It sends a sheath to retrieve core samples of suspicious areas of the prostate.
Referee Centers
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Referee centers may be the wave of the future. Centers such as the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and John Hopkins have second opinion pathology experts to analyze biopsy results, minimizing slide evaluation mistakes.
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Telomerase
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Telomerase is an enzyme in ejaculate fluid which increases in the presence of a cancer. Through future testing methods of this substance, a viable alternative to biopsy may be possible.
RT-PCR
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RT-PCR, or reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction, is a potential alternative to biopsy that will utilize a future technique to seek out cancerous cells in the prostate.
Automated Cytology
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Automated cytology is the study of cells. In the future, through this method, labs will take semen samples which will be used to search for malignant abnormalities in cells.
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