Researchers in Morocco looked at two different ways to perform a prostate biopsy, a procedure where small samples of tissue are taken to check for cancer. They studied 139 men who were suspected of having prostate cancer. One method goes through the skin between the scrotum and anus (transperineal), while the other goes through the rectum (transrectal).
The study found that both methods detected a similar amount of significant cancer—about 40% for the rectal method and 39% for the skin method. The skin method produced slightly longer tissue samples, which can help with lab analysis. Importantly, the skin method had a lower rate of infectious complications (1.4%) compared to the rectal method (7.5%). Both methods had a similar low rate of difficulty urinating after the procedure.
This was a retrospective study, meaning researchers looked back at past medical records rather than planning the comparison in advance. It was also done at just one medical center. Because of this, the results should be seen as early, real-world observations, not definitive proof. The study supports the idea that the skin approach may reduce infection risk without hurting cancer detection, but more research is needed to be sure.
