Recurrence of mucinous prostate cancer in rectal wall due to needle-track seeding from previous transrectal prostate biopsy.

Introduction: Needle-track seeding of prostate cancer into the rectal wall following transrectal prostate biopsy is exceedingly rare. We report a case of mucinous prostate cancer recurrence in the rectal wall due to biopsy needle seeding, discovered after robot-assisted radical prostatectomy.
Case Presentation: A 67-year-old man underwent robot-assisted radical prostatectomy for mucinous prostate cancer (clinical stage T2cN0M0, Gleason score of 4 + 4, and initial prostate-specific antigen level of 8.8 ng/mL). Five years postoperatively, endoscopy revealed a rectal tumor, which was diagnosed as needle-track seeding from the previous transrectal prostate biopsy. Following resection of this rectal tumor, the patient's prostate-specific antigen level fell to <0.008 ng/mL. No signs of recurrence or metastasis were observed 3 months postoperatively.
Conclusion: While rare, transrectal prostate biopsies can pose a small risk of needle-track seeding into the rectal wall. Endorectal examination should be considered if biochemical recurrence of prostate cancer occurs following radical prostatectomy.
Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.
(© 2024 The Author(s). IJU Case Reports published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Japanese Urological Association.)