You really want to know? First let me say my PSA has been as high as 15.8 but I don't have cancer. Yearly checkups are a lifesaver. I've had 5 biopsies. The first one was fine. The second one put me in the hospital because of infection which my urologist was afraid was going to turn sepsis. When my PSA hit 8+ the first time she sent me to UTSW for an MRI targeted biopsy. First day they MRI your prostate. (That's when I found out I'm claustrophobic. It didn't help they shove a probe up your butt to get a better picture. I heard the doctor ask the MRI guy if he thought I was going to pull myself out of the machine.) The second trip they use the MRI as a map to take targeted samples. They stick a tube up your butt so they can guide the needle and use a 3D pic of your prostate to "target" the bad areas. I think it's like trying to hit a bullseye at 100 yards with a .22. Unfortunately for me, the guy doing mine was a bad shot. He stuck my prostate 38 times before he could get all the areas. This is without anesthetics of any kind and no warning what was going to happen. People think blood in the urine is scary? You don't want to see what it's like when you piss straight blood. I was in shock for 24 hours before I finally calmed down. But the good thing is they have a map of my prostate and a good base of info from which to make a diagnosis.
My doctor then left town and gave me the name of another. She told me I had cancer 2 twice. The first time she told me I had cancer, she changed her mind when they found a data entry error. The second time she told me I had it, she told me she really wasn't into prostate cancer anymore and suggested I go to UTSW in Dallas. Which was the best decision I ever made. The doc I see there is world class and focuses strictly on prostate cancer. Everything was fine for a couple of years. Then 2 years ago my PSA hit 15.8. Back to the MRI, but this time loaded up on valium. When they did the biopsy the next day, it was just the standard 9 punch variety. When I told her of my 38 hit experience she said she couldn't believe they didn't knock me out and said it was standard procedure now. Turns out the number was high because of BPH and a month of ibuprofen cut it in 1/2. With all that being said, I would do it all over again for peace of mind, knowing I'm cancer free. And I travel almost 200 miles to see my doctor at UTSW Dallas. He's a world class specialist and can run circles around all the local quacks who couldn't treat me because they had their heads stuck up their own asses. Bottom line, biopsies are better than cancer no matter how discomforting they are. And don't let internet diagnosis scare you. PSA is just a number and mean nothing without context. Find a good doctor and listen to him/her.