Should I consider prostate cancer biomarker testing after my biopsy?
If you have had a prostate biopsy, you might not know if you have prostate cancer. Or, if you do, whether it should be treated.
A prostate biopsy is an important step in determining whether or not you have prostate cancer. Yet, a biopsy doesn’t always tell the entire story. A biopsy can be negative despite other indicators of cancer, such as a high PSA score. Or it might be positive but not tell how widespread the cancer is in the prostate or how fast — or slow — growing your cancer is.
Prostate cancer biomarker (PCM) tests provide an additional layer of data to help you and your healthcare provider when choosing next steps. With this information, you can feel more confident in choosing active surveillance (when your provider recommends waiting and retesting in the future) vs prostate cancer treatment.
There are a variety of PCM tests that help provide additional information after your biopsy if you:
- receive a negative biopsy and want to feel more confident about adopting an active surveillance approach
- receive a negative biopsy result but have a high PSA or other concern of prostate cancer
- receive a positive biopsy result but with a low Gleason score
- receive a positive biopsy result with a high Gleason score
Why wonder when PCMs can provide you and your healthcare provider with more definitive answers and reassurance? Read more below about the biomarker tests that can provide more insights after you have had a biopsy.
PCM Tests After Prostate Biopsy
If your biopsy is negative but you have other indicators of prostate cancer — or you just want extra assurance that active surveillance is the right choice for you, this PCM can help find prostate cancer that goes undetected by a biopsy.
Confirm MDx
The ConfirmMDx test can provide more information for patients who have a negative or inconclusive biopsy but there's a high suspicion of prostate cancer.
%s
If your biopsy is positive but has a Gleason Score of less than or equal to 7, you and your healthcare provider will want to know how aggressive your cancer is before determining whether it should be treated. The PCMs analyze the biology of your unique cancer make-up to help determine which path is appropriate.
Decipher
Also known as Decipher Biopsy, this genomic test analyzes individual tumor aggressiveness and combines it with an individual’s clinically validated prostate cancer-specific mortality risk and personal risk of metastasis.
Prolaris Score
The Prolaris Score for prostate cancer analyzes the biology of the prostate cancer tumor as well as how fast the cells in the tumor are dividing (cancer aggressiveness).
Genomic Prostate Score
GPS is a powerful test for men with organ confined prostate cancer looking for more insights about whether or not to pursue treatment or an active surveillance protocol.
%s
If your prostate biopsy has a Gleason Score greater than 7 and you have already undergone treatment, please see the Prostate Cancer Treatment page for additional PCM tests to consider.
Biopsy FAQs
As you assess your risk of prostate cancer after you have had a biopsy, you may have questions about PCMs, genetic testing, and more.
If you have a negative or atypical biopsy and are wanting more insights about prostate cancer risk, you might consider the tissue-based PCM test:
If your prostate biopsy has a Gleason Score of less than or equal to 7 or if your prostate biopsy has a Gleason Score greater than 7 and you have not yet undergone treatment (surgery or radiation), you and your healthcare provider might consider these tissue-based PCM tests:
If your prostate biopsy has a Gleason Score greater than 7 and you have already undergone treatment, please see Waypoint 4 for additional PCM tests to consider.
Prostate cancer biomarkers (PCMs) are molecules found in blood, tissue, or body fluids. PCMs are revolutionary new, non-invasive diagnostic tests that may help your healthcare provider decide if your prostate cancer is in fact low risk, if something more aggressive may be lurking in your prostate, or if there are hot spots in the prostate that may need to be re-evaluated upon biopsy. PCMs also can help you and your healthcare provider determine the most appropriate treatment for your cancer.
If you are in the active surveillance stage and wondering about getting more insights into your prostate cancer, these tissue-based tests can be performed on the prostate biopsy you previously had. Results can give you peace of mind or inform your next move.
If you have not had a biopsy and are in the watchful waiting stage based on your initial PSA, DRE, or other tests, consider the PCMs and genetic tests highlighted in Waypoint 1 of the prostate cancer journey.