Simulations Of Prostate Biopsy Methods

An accepted practice in screening for prostate cancer involves a needle core biopsy of the prostate gland, which can provide information regarding if, and how much, cancer is present in a gland. This paper documents several investigations into prostate gland biopsy techniques. The rst phase of study involves a geometric model of a prostate gland containing one to three tumors. This mathematical model of the gland is then used to simulate various biopsy techniques and compare the resulting data. Secondly, the best biopsy procedure, as determined from the geometric model, is simulated on actual specimen data which have been digitized. These specimen data are also used for simulation of the six random systematic core biopsy technique (SRSCB) currently in clinical use. The results of the geometric model are compared to the results of the simulation on actual data. Finally, the geometric model is used in another series of simulations that investigate the number of needle samples needed to estimate the tumor to gland volume ratio. iii This abstract accurately represents the content of the candidate's thesis. I recommend its publication. Signed William L. Briggs iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to sincerely thank a number of people who consistently provided me with their support, encouragement and guidance as I pursued the completion of this thesis. Dr. Bill Briggs, my advisor, served as a constant source of insight and motivation, as well as providing considerable direction throughout this process. I am also grateful for the time spent with Dr. Jim Koehler who had to teach me the ner points of statistics again and again. My thanks to both of these professers for proving to be excellent academic sources. I also would like to thank Norm LeMay who, out of the generousity of his heart and his need for a free lunch, assisted me in running the ANOVA analysis which this thesis required. Finally, I must thank my family, Mark, Eric and Corinne for encouraging me and making me laugh through every crisis.