SUMMARY Biopsy specimens of the prostate were obtained by both fine‐needle transrectal puncture for cytological examination and by perianal puncture with a punch biopsy needle (Veenema's type) for histological examination in 100 cases of clinically manifest or suspect prostatic cancer. The former method produced material sufficient for examination in 96 per cent.; the latter, in 99 per cent. The results obtained by the two methods were concordant in 76 per cent. Forty‐one cases were diagnosed as cancer cytologically and 45 histologically. Malignancy was suspected cytologically in 11 and histologically in five. Of seven cases interpreted cytologically as cancer and histologically as benign or suspect, repeated histological biopsy revealed cancer in six. Of 34 cases of malignant tumours graded cytologically and histologically, the results were concordant in 24. Fine‐needle puncture is only a minor operation, it does not require hospitalisation or anzsthesia of the patient and its range of indications is wide. Judging from the above, cytological examination is from a practical point of view preferable to liistological examination as a routine procedure in the diagnosis of prostatic cancer.
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Ekman et al. (1967) studied this question.