Abstract

RAMIREZ SIMONO, Miguel Rafael; PEREZ GONZALEZ, Raquel; RODRIGUEZ COLLAR, Tomás L.  and  GONZALEZ LOPEZ, Ariel. Usefulness of the transrectal ultrasound in the diagnosis of prostatic cancer. Rev Cub Med Mil [online]. 2007, vol.36, n.1. ISSN 0138-6557.

At a worldwide level, prostatic cancer is the fourth cause of death from cancer in men, and its incidence and mortality have increased in the last years. In Cuba, it is the 2 nd cause of death from cancer, that's why transrectal US is so important for its diagnosis and staging. The present study analyzed the effectiveness of the transrectal US in the diagnosis of prostatic cancer, which determined the frequency in our universe, as well as the present echogram patterns, and the sensibility and specificity of the method. A descriptive prospective study was conducted among 158 patients, who underwent transrectal US . Fine-needle aspiration puncture was perfomed in those subjects with echographic suspicion of prostatic cancer. The age group 71-80 and the black people were the most affected. The most frequent echogram image was the hypoechoic focal lesion (nodular or diffuse). Of the 125 suspected cases, cancer was diagnosed in 110 of them for a sensibility rate of 0.93, and a specificity rate of 0.52. Transrectal US is still the choice imaging tool for the diagnosis, and an important guide for the taking of prostatic biopsies and for the local staging in prostatic cancer.

Keywords : Prostatic cancer; transrectal US; diagnosis..