Method of doing prostate biopsies for the diagnosis of prostate cancer - present and future

Vincent Gnanapragasam made this Freedom of Information request to NHS England This request has been closed to new correspondence. Contact us if you think it should be reopened.

Response to this request is long overdue. By law, under all circumstances, NHS England should have responded by now (details). You can complain by requesting an internal review.

Vincent Gnanapragasam

Dear NHS England,

I would like to ask what is the current practice in trusts in England of doing prostate biopsies for diagnosing or monitoring prostate cancer.

I would like to know

1. What is the current percentage of cases biopsied using a transrectal biopsy method and what is the percentage of cases biopsies using a transperineal route

2. If transperineal is this under General Anaesthetic (GA) or under Local Anaesthetic (LA)

3. Is there plans in the next 12-18 months to convert transrectal biopsies to transperineal - if so what proportion

4. How are LA transperineal biopsies done a.using a grid based approach b. using a bespoke device (please name) c. in planning and unsure

5. How are the biopsies done ( regardless of route) a. targeted to MRI lesions only b. Targeted to MRI lesion and systematic biopsies c. Systematic biopsies only

6. When targeting is used - how is this done a. cognitive b. by image fusion software or c. a hybrid

7. Will an image fusion system be introduced in your trust within the next 24 months

Yours faithfully,

Vincent Gnanapragasam
University of Cambridge

FOI, England (NHS ENGLAND & NHS IMPROVEMENT - X24), NHS England

Dear Vincent Gnanapragasam,  

 

Thank you for your communication dated 2 October 2019.

 

NHS England has assessed your communication as a request under the Freedom
of Information (FOI) Act 2000. As such, your request is being dealt with
under the terms of the FOI Act and has been allocated the following
reference number: FOI-060337.

 

Your exact request was:

 

“I would like to ask what is the current practice in trusts in England of
doing prostate biopsies for diagnosing or monitoring prostate cancer.

 

I would like to know

 

1. What is the current percentage of cases biopsied using a transrectal
biopsy method and what is the percentage of cases biopsies using a
transperineal route

 

2. If transperineal  is this under General Anaesthetic (GA) or under Local
Anaesthetic (LA)

 

3. Is there plans in the next 12-18 months to convert transrectal biopsies
to transperineal - if so what proportion

 

4. How are LA transperineal biopsies done a.using a grid based approach b.
using a bespoke device  (please name) c. in planning  and unsure

 

5. How are the biopsies done ( regardless of route) a. targeted to MRI
lesions only b. Targeted to MRI lesion and systematic biopsies c.
Systematic biopsies only

 

6. When targeting is used - how is this done  a. cognitive  b. by image
fusion software or c. a hybrid

 

7. Will an image fusion system be introduced in your trust within the next
24 months”

 

NHS England does not hold information in relation to your request.

 

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Yours sincerely,

 

Freedom of Information

Corporate Communications Team

Transformation and Corporate Operations Directorate

 

NHS England

PO Box 16738

REDDITCH

B97 9PT

 

Tel: 0300 311 22 33

Email: [9][NHS England request email]

 

 

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