title: Systematic development of clinical practice guidelines for prostate biopsies: a 3-year Italian project.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The only available method to detect prostate cancer is prostate biopsy; however, to our knowledge, no evidence-based clinical practice guidelines have been established on this topic.
  
  
  METHODS
  A three-year project was elaborated in which experts in the field worked to define the controversies existing in clinical practice regarding prostatic biopsies and then to develop guidelines by means of a systematic search of all the English-language literature using online databases and a consensus conference.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The guidelines were formulated to help practitioners in making clinical decisions regarding the appropriate time the patient should undergo prostate biopsy, the type of antibiotic prophylaxis and anaesthesia, the biopsy approach, the method for processing and reporting prostatic needle cores, the biopsy technique, when to repeat a biopsy after a prior negative biopsy, radiotherapy or radical prostatectomy and the accuracy of biopsies in staging prostate cancer.
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Alma Mater Studiorum University of Bologna, Sant'Orsola-Malpighi Hospital, Palagi Str. 9, 40100, Bologna, Italy. alessandro@bertaccini.net
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bertaccini
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fandella
authors.forename: Tommaso
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Prayer-Galetti
authors.forename: Vincenzo
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Scattoni
authors.forename: Andrea B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Galosi
authors.forename: Vincenzo
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Ficarra
authors.forename: Carlo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Trombetta
authors.forename: Massimo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gion
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Martorana
mesh_terms: D019072:Antibiotic Prophylaxis / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards; D001706:Biopsy / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D008297:Male; D011467:Prostate / Q000473:pathology*; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*