Biopsy Pathology Report:
Your biopsy pathology report is a report card on your prostate cancer and provides critical information needed to develop an effective treatment plan specifically for you. At Radiotherapy Clinics of Georgia, we want to ensure that all information is accurate and confirm results with a second opinion biopsy pathology report.
Find out ‘why’ Radiotherapy Clinics of Georgia requests that our team of consulting pathologists review your biopsy cores for a secondary, independent opinion.
Learn more about Radiotherapy Clinics of Georgia process and approach to the most successful outcomes in the medical community for treating prostate cancer. Visit our patient contact center for more information.
Question 23:
What is a Second Opinion Prostate Biopsy Pathology Report from Radiotherapy Clinics of Georgia? (See Table 4.)
Answer:
When a man has a consultation at Radiotherapy Clinics of Georgia, we ask the pathologist who originally examined his biopsy material to send us the needle cores removed from the prostate by his urologist. We then send the cores to Dr. O’Neill and her group to review them by taking a second look at the cores using their microscope and provide us a written second opinion of their review. Table 4 is a review for a patient. We will not treat a patient at Radiotherapy Clinics of Georgia until we have the biopsy material reviewed and have obtained your Second Opinion Prostate Biopsy Pathology Report.
Question 24:
Why do you get a second opinion of the biopsy cores?
Answer:
We want to double-check your biopsy cores. An accurate interpretation of your biopsy cores correlated with our computerized database is the key to deciding which treatment technique to use as well as to accurately calculate your 10-year Individual Cure Rate (ICR).
Question 25:
Do you find differences between the second opinion report by Dr. O’Neill and her group and the original outside pathology report?
Answer:
Yes. In 90% of cases, we get more information from the second opinion report than from the original report. Most outside pathology reports have no information about perineural invasion, the percentage of grades 4 or 5 in each needle core or the percentage of cancer in each needle. We also find that 25% of men have the Gleason score in the outside report changed to a new Gleason score in the Second Opinion Prostate Biopsy Pathology Report.28 Since we tailor treatment and calculate your 10-year ICR primarily according to the pathology report findings, we want as much information from the pathologist as possible, and we want it to be accurate.
Question 26:
Can any man with prostate cancer get a Second Opinion Prostate Biopsy Pathology Report from Dr. O’Neill’s group?
Answer:
Yes. All you need to do is give us your permission to review your biopsy cores. We will get your prostate biopsy slides from your original pathologist and send the material to Dr. O’Neill. Within five days, we will receive the Second Opinion Prostate Biopsy Pathology Report from Dr. O’Neill’s office and send the results to you. You can also send Radiotherapy Clinics of Georgia your PSA and the stage of your prostate cancer, and we will calculate a 10-year ICR graph for you using the second opinion report. Then, we will mail your 10-year ICR graph and Second Opinion Prostate Biopsy Pathology Report to you. You can call Radiotherapy Clinics of Georgia for details on how to send this material. If you do not understand and would like to discuss your Second Opinion Prostate Pathology Report, you can talk to any Radiotherapy Clinics of Georgia doctor, or we can put you in contact with Dr. O’Neill, Dr. Piratzky or Dr. Andrews. Click here to contact us for your 10-year ICR.
Question 27:
Should I be treated for my prostate cancer quickly? Do I have time to get a second opinion of my pathology report and a 10-year ICR from different doctors?
Answer:
The worst thing you can do is make a hasty decision, be treated and later learn that another treatment or doctor was better for you. Prostate cancer is generally a slow growing disease, so you can take several weeks to decide what to do. In fact, some men manage this disease with “watchful waiting.” However, if you do have an aggressive cancer, such as Gleason score 4+3 or higher, you might want to make a decision on treatment within two months of diagnosis.
Question 28:
If my urologist did not perform the prostate biopsy correctly or the pathologist did not interpret my biopsy cores accurately, should I have a repeat prostate biopsy?
Answer:
A repeat prostate biopsy is rarely needed. Our consultant pathologists almost always give us the necessary information from the original biopsy cores to plan treatment and predict cure.
