In a study of 50 patients at the VA Hospital, those who received rectally administered lidocaine gel before the biopsy experienced significantly less pain than those who underwent the biopsy the conventional way, without anesthetic. The results were presented at the American Urological Association's 95th annual meeting in Atlanta in May. Without anesthetic, the prostate biopsy can be quite uncomfortable, as it involves inserting several biopsy needles into the prostate through the rectum. Scores of 5 or higher are considered moderate to severe pain. But only 4 percent of patients who received lidocaine rated their pain within that range.
Prostate cancer is the second leading cancer cause of death in American men.
This year the American Cancer Society estimates about 180,400 new cases of prostate cancer will be diagnosed in the U.S., and 31,900 men will die from the disease.