Prostatic Transition Zone Directed Needle Biopsies Uncommonly Sample Clinically Relevant Transition Zone Tumors

Cancer identified in transition zone directed needle biopsy cores was not from the transition zone or did not reflect a dominant transition zone lesion in almost 80% of cases. Cancer identified in a left or right transition zone directed needle biopsy did not predict ipsilateral transition zone cancer in almost 50% of cases. These findings suggest that such biopsies do not adequately characterize transition zone tumors. Thus, care should be taken in their interpretation.