Is it suppose to take this long?

By WORRIEDWIFE

1 min read

Waiting for a biopsy

We have been waiting 3 months for a biopsy to find out if my husband has prostate cancer. This morning on our way out the door to the appointment they called and canceled because the nurses did not show up today. I am so worried and frustrating. It has been 3 months of agony. Is this a normal wait time? How long have others waited?

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Richard Faust Community Admin
Hi <inline-mention username="WORRIEDWIFE" user-id="5515272"/>. Sorry to hear you and your husband have had to deal with this waiting and your concern is certainly understandable. The good news is that most prostate cancer is slow growing and this time probably won't make a difference in his diagnosis and overall treatment planning. That said, considering the nature of this cancelation, you may really want to press that he has to go to the top of the list for receiving a call on any openings. You may also want to consider if this office is reliable enough and look at other options. Also, you could ask about getting urinary biomarker testing, which have become quite good at identifying clinically significant PCa. A couple of these have come to commercial use, particularly the MPS (previously MiPS) and ExoDx. Your doctor should be able to provide additional information. Really hoping your husband can get some answers soon and please feel free to keep us updated on how things are going. Best, Richard (ProstateCancer.net Team)
1. peekaafighter Member
 <inline-mention username="Richard Faust" user-id="3268931"/> There must be a classification system to compare the liquid biopsy results to the gold standard Gleason score.
2. Richard Faust Community Admin
 Hi <inline-mention username="peekaafighter" user-id="3257057"/>. I have not seen any sort of classification system. At this point one has to look at the research on individual biomarker tests to see how accurately they predicted a finding of prostate cancer and Gleason score when compared to actual biopsy results. Another interesting development is what is referred to as a virtual biopsy using machine learning and MRI to distinguish between prostate cancer in need of treatment and those that could come under active surveillance, without the potential complications of a biopsy (see: <a href='https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34891963/' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer ugc'>https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34891963/</a>). This technology and use of it seems to still be in development, but certainly seems promising. Best, Richard (ProstateCancer.net Team)
WORRIEDWIFE Member
Thank you for the information. I plan to read through it carefully. My husband was able to get rescheduled for the biopsy this week. It also is a concern to me that this office may not be very reliable. I am hoping for the best results but if not we will carefully consider before choosing a doctor to help us through this journey.
1. SamuelTaylor Community Admin
 Yay! Such a great reason to celebrate! Congratulations on that great news. -Samuel, Team Member 
2. WORRIEDWIFE Member
 <inline-mention username="SamuelTaylor" user-id="4231218"/> Thank you so much for your support. This has been a wake up call for me. I am thrilled with my husband's results but it has opened my eyes to what others are going through. Please know that I will keep everyone in my prayers.