University Hospital adds more precise prostate biopsy procedure 

University Hospital in Newark — which is also the principal teaching hospital for Rutgers New Jersey Medical School — added the transperineal prostate biopsy procedure to its cancer-detection arsenal. 

According to an Aug. 16 announcement, University is the first hospital in New Jersey to offer 3D ultrasound-MRI fusion technology from Koelis for this procedure. 

“We know that men in Essex County experience one of the highest levels of prostate cancer as compared to the rest of the state. If detected and addressed early, we also know that this condition is treatable,” Mary Maples, interim president and CEO of University, said in a statement.  

“As New Jersey’s public academic health center, we seek to bring exceptional care to every patient, every time, and are living that commitment by providing this state-of-the-art service, a first in New Jersey, to our community,” she added. 

Used to detect cancer, prostate biopsies have traditionally been completed via the rectum, which has deterred some men from scheduling routine exams, the hospital stated. By performing a transperineal biopsy, doctors can collect a better cross section of tissue samples with a lower rate of infection following the procedure, while avoiding the rectum. The same-day procedure can be performed under general or local anesthesia. 

“With our transperineal approach to prostate biopsies, we add MRI-targeting to the procedure that has demonstrated positive contributions to overall cancer detection,” said Dr. Evan Kovac, an associate professor and member of the Department of Surgery, Division of Urology at Rutgers and a member of the University Hospital staff. 

Kovac added that the new approach can improve diagnosis and reduce the chance of infection. 

“With the new approach, we can actually improve the sampling at the front of the prostate, where traditional transrectal prostate biopsy has limited reach, therefore improving our access to a larger portion of the prostate,” Kovac said. 

The hospital also is now using the PrecisionPoint device, made by Perineologic, to collect an average of 20 and 30 biopsy samples with only one skin puncture, making the procedure much quicker for patients. 

“When diagnosed with prostate cancer, African-American men tend to have more advanced disease and are more than twice as likely to die from prostate cancer than other men, so early detection is key. With transperineal prostate biopsy technology, we now have another tool in the arsenal to identify prostate cancer when it is more treatable,” added Dr. Wadih Arap, director of Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey at University Hospital and chief, Division of Hematology/Oncology at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School.