European urology
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Infectious complications and hospital admissions after prostate biopsy in a European randomized trial.
The complications of prostate needle biopsy (PNB) are important when considering the benefits and harms of prostate cancer screening. Studies from the United States and Canada have recently reported increasing numbers of hospitalizations for infectious complications after PNB. ⋯ In a European screening trial, <5% PNBs resulted in febrile complications. Significant risk factors included diabetes and prostatic enlargement. Although most fevers were managed on an outpatient basis, infection remained the leading cause of hospital admission after PNB. Consistent with prior international reports, the frequency of hospital admissions after PNB significantly increased over time. Nevertheless, the absolute frequency of hospital admissions related to PNB was low and should not dissuade healthy men who would benefit from early prostate cancer diagnosis from undergoing biopsy when clinically indicated.