最后更新: 8 月 25, 2026

Prostate cancer is among the commonest cancers in men, and for decades the way of confirming it was the same: a needle passed through the wall of the rectum, sampling the prostate in a fixed pattern without knowing where any cancer actually was. Two things have changed since. They are separate changes, and they are constantly confused with one another — including in the earlier version of this article.

Two advances, doing two different jobs

They are independent. A transrectal biopsy can be MRI-targeted, and a transperineal biopsy can be done without MRI. Doing both together is the current standard, but the credit belongs where it is due.

Dr. Soarawee Weerasopone performing an MRI-fusion transperineal prostate biopsy using the fusion platform
Dr. Soarawee performing an MRI-fusion transperineal prostate biopsy at Bangkok Hospital Headquarters.
Diagram comparing the transperineal needle route through the skin with the transrectal route through the rectal wall
The transperineal needle enters through the skin of the perineum, avoiding the rectal wall entirely.

A correction to the comparison table published here

The earlier version of this article set out a table comparing the MRI-fusion transperineal approach against the conventional transrectal approach, giving cancer detection of 81% against 40%. That comparison has been removed, for two reasons.

First, the two columns differed in two ways at once — the route whether MRI targeting was used — so no row in the table could be attributed to either one. Second, the two figures came from two different studies of different groups of men using different definitions, and setting them side by side implied a head-to-head comparison that was never made.

What the better evidence shows is more specific, and more useful:

The figure of 0% for prostatitis in the old table has also gone. No procedure has a zero complication rate, and publishing one invites a confidence the numbers cannot support.

What the route actually buys you

TransperinealTransrectal
Needle through the skin of the perineumNeedle through the rectal wall
Serious bloodstream infection is uncommonSerious bloodstream infection is a recognised and more frequent risk, and antibiotic resistance has been making it worse
Rectal bleeding essentially avoidedRectal bleeding common, occasionally significant
Better access to the front part of the gland, which transrectal sampling reaches poorlyAnterior tumours are more easily missed
Perineal soreness and bruising for a few daysLess perineal discomfort
Blood in the urine and semen for days to weeksBlood in the urine and semen for days to weeks

Blood in the semen deserves a word of its own because it alarms men who were not warned: it is expected, it can look dramatic, and it can persist for several weeks. It is not a sign that anything has gone wrong.

The MRI comes first — and may spare you the biopsy

This is worth knowing before you agree to anything. The modern sequence is MRI first, biopsy second, and the scan is scored for how suspicious it looks.

Where the MRI shows nothing suspicious and the clinical picture is reassuring, it is often reasonable not to biopsy at all, and instead to follow the PSA. Men are frequently unaware this option exists. Where the MRI shows a suspicious area, the biopsy targets it — and usually takes some additional systematic samples as well, because MRI does not see everything.

Whether to have a PSA test in the first place is its own decision, discussed under should I have a PSA test.

What a biopsy cannot tell you

If the biopsy does confirm cancer, the next conversation is about treatment — see the surgical treatment options, including robotic prostatectomy and how candidates are selected.

Symptoms after a biopsy that need attention the same day

Infection after prostate biopsy can become serious quickly. In an emergency in Thailand, call 1669.

常见问题解答

What is an MRI-fusion transperineal prostate biopsy?

An MRI performed beforehand is fused with the live ultrasound image during the procedure, so the needle is directed at the suspicious area rather than sampling blindly. The needle passes through the skin of the perineum rather than through the rectal wall. The first part improves what is found; the second part reduces infection.

Does the transperineal route find more cancer?

Not by itself. Randomised comparisons have found broadly similar detection between the two routes. What improves detection is MRI targeting, which can be used with either route. An earlier version of this article implied the route was responsible for a large detection advantage, and that has been corrected.

Why choose transperineal then?

Because it avoids driving bowel bacteria into the prostate and bloodstream. Serious infection after transrectal biopsy is uncommon but real, and antibiotic resistance has made it harder to prevent. Transperineal biopsy also reaches the front of the gland better, where transrectal sampling is weakest.

Is it painful, and will I be asleep?

It can be done under local anaesthetic or under general or spinal anaesthesia, depending on the number of samples planned, your anatomy and your preference. Ask which is planned for you before the day. Afterwards, expect perineal soreness and bruising for a few days.

My MRI was normal. Do I still need a biopsy?

Often not. Where the MRI shows nothing suspicious and the clinical picture is reassuring, following the PSA rather than proceeding to biopsy is frequently a reasonable option. It is a decision to make deliberately with your urologist rather than assuming the biopsy is automatic.

If cancer is found, will I need surgery?

Not necessarily. Some prostate cancers grow slowly enough that active monitoring is the right management and treatment would do more harm than the disease. The grade reported by the pathologist, not the mere presence of cancer, determines what happens next.

Is this available in Bangkok?

Yes. Dr. Soarawee Weerasopone performs MRI-fusion transperineal prostate biopsy at Bangkok Hospital Headquarters.

Arranging a consultation

Dr. Soarawee Weerasopone sees patients at 曼谷医院总部 and at Samitivej Sriracha Hospital in Chonburi on 088-022-1445. Bring every previous PSA result with its date, and the MRI images themselves rather than only the report.

曼谷医院远程医疗服务适用于无法亲自就诊的患者,包括国际患者——请通过电子邮件提前向泌尿科预约: bhquro@bdms.co.th. Samitivej Sriracha is in-person only. Enquiries about cost are answered by the hospital, not by this website.

免责声明 This content is written and reviewed by Dr. Soarawee Weerasopone, a board-certified urologist at Bangkok Hospital Headquarters, and is intended for education only. It is not medical advice, diagnosis or a prescription for any individual, and no advice, diagnosis or prescription is given through personal messaging channels or social media. Dr. Soarawee operates no public social media account; any account offering private consultation in his name is fraudulent. In an emergency in Thailand, call 1669.

医学撰写与审阅: Soarawee Weerasopone 博士(Pom 博士)——曼谷医院总部泌尿外科专科医生,自 2016 年起从事泌尿外科工作。曾于 2019 年在台湾长庚纪念医院接受机器人手术培训;2022 年在东京顺天堂大学医院接受泌尿外科内镜观察培训;2025 年至 2026 年在美国贝勒医学院斯科特泌尿外科系担任研究学者和临床观察员。.

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