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Results
By Mayo Clinic staffA doctor who specializes in diagnosing cancer and other tissue abnormalities will evaluate the prostate biopsy samples. This doctor (a pathologist) can tell if the tissue removed is cancerous and, if cancer is present, estimate how aggressive it is. If the pathologist finds cancer, it's graded on a scale called the Gleason score. This scale rates how different the cancer cells are from normal tissue. The lowest rating is 1 and the highest is 5. Cancers with a high Gleason score are the most abnormal and are more likely to grow and spread quickly.
Along with the grade of the cancer, the pathologist's report will tell how many samples were taken, and if cancer is present, the percentage of cancer from each sample and the location of cancer in the prostate.
Sometimes a prostate biopsy is performed as a follow-up to a previous abnormal prostate biopsy that showed abnormal cells but not cancer. It's usually done three to six months after the initial biopsy to make sure cancer isn't present. A follow-up prostate biopsy may be needed if the initial biopsy showed abnormal cell conditions that can be a sign of prostate cancer.
