Abstract
Background
The study aimed to evaluate the differences in prostate cancer (PCa) detection rates between novice and experienced resident physicians using free-hand cognitive fusion transperineal prostate biopsy (fTP-Bx) through propensity score matching (PSM).
Methods
A retrospective analysis was conducted on a cohort of patients who underwent fTP-Bx procedures. The needle biopsies were performed by two groups of surgical doctors with varying levels of prostate biopsy experience (Novice Group and Experienced Group) between March 1, 2023, and March 1, 2024. The PSM method was employed to compare the differences in cancer detection-related parameters between various groups of differing prostate biopsy experience levels.
Results
In total, 398 patients were included in the study, with 196 in the Experienced Group and 202 in the Novice Group. Prior to PSM, significant differences were observed between the groups in terms of operation duration (p = 0.014) and multiparametric MRI results (mpMRI, p = 0.009). However, after adjusting for confounding factors through PSM, there were no differences in the absolute number of cores involved, percentage of cores involved, clinically significant prostate cancer (csPCa) detection rates, and overall PCa detection rates between the different prostate biopsy experience groups. Despite potential variations in operation duration related to different levels of needle biopsy experience, there were no distinctions observed between novice and experienced doctors in terms of prostate cancer detection, particularly concerning csPCa.
Conclusions
Novice resident physicians have the ability to complete qualified fTP-Bx.