Great news!  My biopsy was negative for cancer.  I’m also very glad it only took a little over a week, as I was told it could take 2-3 weeks.  The waiting is not fun; it’s on your mind very frequently.  Now, I get to put it out of my head for at least 6 months until my next checkup!

I temper my relief a little bit, because I know that there are a lot of false negatives with prostate biopsies.  This was one of my main concerns about having a biopsy in the first place.  While a biopsy can confirm the presence of cancer, it cannot rule it out completely.  In fact, a single, standard biopsy may not be all that much better than a PCA3 test or a 3T MRI for ruling out small, less aggressive tumors of the prostate.  Also tempering my great relief was a finding of an “atypical gland” in 2 of the 16 core samples.  This is basically a warning to keep close check on my PSA and have a regular DRE.  I’ve had a handful of suspicious moles removed in the past.  While none have turned out to be cancer, a couple did come back as “atypical”.  So, I also have a dermatologist check my skin at least once a year, too.

I am still very relieved.  Combined with my PCA 3 test and my 3T MRI results, the negative biopsy hopefully means I do not have prostate cancer at all and almost certainly means I don’t have any large or aggressive tumors.  Amen.