Abstract

Prostate cancer is the most diagnosed cancer in men. If there is any suspicion of prostate cancer after PSA screening or digital rectal examination (DRE), transrectal ultrasonography guided prostate biopsies should be performed particularly for the middle aged or elderly population. Previously, prostate biopsies used to directly focus on the lesion palpated in DRE. In time, technical advances such as 6 core sextant biopsies, lateral zone sampling or 10 – 12 core (double sextant) biopsies came up and were introduced into clinical practice in order to improve the diagnostic value of prostate biopsies. Recently, investigations are focused on a new biopsy technique called saturation biopsy which includes 20 prostatic cores or more.
There is a big controversy among urologists about the diagnostic value and necessity of this new technique. In this review current studies concerning the use of saturation biopsy and its potential benefits particularly for "ed patients with repeated negative prostate biopsies whose suspicion for prostate cancer is still clinically or biochemically relevant or for those undergoing active surveillance protocols are being assesed and discussed.

Key words: Saturation biopsy, prostate cancer