Optimizing Prostate Cancer Diagnosis: A Prospective, Randomized Comparison of 12-core vs. 20-core Biopsy for Detection Accuracy and Upgrading Risk

What's known on the subject? and What does the study add?Transrectal ultrasound guided systematic prostate biopsy is widely regarded as the gold standard for diagnosing prostate cancer.Although the traditional 12-core biopsy protocol is extensively utilized, its capacity to detect clinically significant cancers is constrained due to the heterogeneous distribution of tumors.Multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging and targeted biopsies have emerged as significant components in the diagnostic process.However, their extensive use is impeded by high cost, limited accessibility, and technical challenges.Consequently, systematic biopsy techniques maintain their importance due to their cost-effectiveness and accessibility, despite the ongoing controversy regarding the efficacy of standard biopsy protocols and the potential benefit of extended biopsy schemes in improving diagnostic accuracy.The present study aims to compare the efficacy of 12 and 20 core biopsy protocols in the diagnosis of prostate cancer.