Comparative Analysis of Transperineal Versus Transrectal Approaches for MRI-Targeted Biopsy of the Prostate for the Detection and Characterization of Prostate Cancer

Prostate cancer is the most common malignancy and the second most common cause of cancer death in men in the Western hemisphere. Definitive diagnosis of prostate cancer relies on biopsy of the prostate gland, which is historically performed by taking 12 random biopsies of the prostate by placing a needle through the rectum under ultrasound guidance. Recently, advances in MRI techniques have allowed identification of suspicious lesions within the prostate prior to biopsy, which has given rise to targeting biopsy cores to high-suspicion areas using fused ultrasound-MRI images. However, the most commonly used transrectal approach to biopsy is associated with a growing rate of infectious complications as well as poor sampling of the anterior region of the prostate, which is furthest from the rectum.