NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - In overweight or obese men, prostate biopsy may underestimate the aggressiveness of prostate cancer, research suggests.
"Even if a well-done biopsy shows low-grade cancer in an obese patient, there is still a reasonable likelihood that the patient may have high-grade disease," Dr. Stephen J. Freedland of Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina commented in a university statement.
A misleading prostate biopsy could lead to inadequate or inappropriate treatment of the cancer, he and colleagues warn in their report, published today in the journal Urology.
The prostate specific antigen, or PSA, is a blood test used to look for early signs of prostate cancer. Men who have a suspicious PSA result often undergo a prostate biopsy, which involves inserting a needle into the prostate to extract tissue for analysis. The results of the biopsy play a critical role in treatment decisions.
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