Nerve-sparing radical prostatectomy: extraprostatic tumor extension and preservation of erectile function

A total of 52 patients underwent a nerve-sparing radical retropubic prostatectomy for clinical stage A or B prostatic cancer. The incidence of positive surgical margins (18 per cent of the patients with stages A and B1, and 57 per cent with stage B2 disease) was not significantly different (p less than 0.5) from that of 25 patients who underwent a standard radical retropubic prostatectomy by the same surgeon (18 per cent with stages A and B1, and 50 per cent with stage B2 cancer). Of 42 patients who were sexually potent preoperatively 41 (98 per cent) have had partial return of erectile function and 22 (52 per cent) have had return of erections sufficient for vaginal penetration. No correlation between clinical or pathological stage and postoperative potency was observed. Erections sufficient for penetration returned in 67 per cent of the patients less than 60 and 43 per cent of those more than 60 years old. The results suggest that with the nerve-sparing modification of radical retropubic prostatectomy sexual function can be preserved in the majority of patients with clinical stage A or B prostatic cancer without compromising the adequacy of tumor excision.     

Intermediate-term survival results in clinically understaged prostate cancer patients following radical prostatectomy

To determine the natural history of clinically understaged prostatic cancer patients who were followed without adjuvant therapy for at least 6 years after radical prostatectomy we reviewed the clinical courses of 21 patients (1 with clinical stage A and 20 with clinical stage B disease). All patients underwent radical retropubic prostatectomy and 9 had pathological stage C disease (6 with capsular penetration only and 3 with seminal vesicle invasion). A total of 12 patients had pathological stage D1 disease by virtue of positive nodes on permanent sections after frozen sections were read as negative. Among the patients with pathological stage C disease 67 per cent were free of recurrence 6 years after radical prostatectomy. Of the patients with seminal vesicle invasion 33 per cent had recurrence compared to 17 per cent of those with capsular penetration only. Among the 12 stage D1 cancer patients 75 per cent were free of recurrence at 6 years. In both groups patients who were followed beyond 7 years had a diminished survival free of tumor owing to late tumor recurrences. The results indicate that the intermediate survival rates free of tumor in patients with clinically understaged A or B prostatic cancer are remarkably good without adjuvant therapy. However, survival without recurrence appears to decrease after 7 years. All patients who failed treatment did so distantly; no patient failed with local recurrence alone. These results may be important in the evaluation of adjuvant therapy protocols currently under investigation for patients with clinically understaged prostate cancer.     

Incidental carcinoma of the prostate: significance of staging transurethral resection

We compared the results of staging by a second circumferential transurethral resection and/or transperineal needle biopsy in 42 patients with stage A prostatic adenocarcinoma on initial transurethral resection (defined as tumor of low grade, Gleason sum 2 to 4, and low volume, less than 5 per cent of the specimen or less than 3 foci). Transurethral resection only was done in 16 patients, transperineal needle biopsy only in 2 and both procedures in 24. In the 24 patients who underwent both procedures residual carcinoma was identified by transurethral resection in 6 and confirmed by transperineal needle biopsy in only 1. Thirty-two patients (76 per cent) had no residual carcinoma. Of the 10 patients (24 per cent) with residual carcinoma 5 underwent radical prostatectomy with pelvic lymphadenectomy, 1 had interstitial irradiation with pelvic lymphadenectomy and 1 had pelvic lymphadenectomy only. No lymphatic metastases were detected; persistent carcinoma confined to the prostate was noted in all 5 patients who had undergone radical prostatectomy and 3 of these tumors were upstaged because of higher grade and/or volume. We conclude that residual carcinoma cannot be assessed accurately with transperineal needle biopsy, whereas transurethral resection staging enabled us to define a substantial number of our patients (24 per cent) with persistent disease. Importantly, upstaging by either low volume/high grade or high volume carcinoma was identified in 3 patients at the time of radical prostatectomy. However, the true stage and prognosis of those patients with persistent low volume and low grade prostatic carcinoma remain to be determined.     

Guideline of surgical treatment of prostatic adenocarcinoma

Based on study of 274 cases of prostate cancer treated in our clinic, selection of patient for radical surgical treatment and choice of procedures were discussed. The radical surgical procedures experienced in our clinic were classified as 31 cases of radical prostatectomy, 4 cases of radical cystoprostatectomy and 7 cases of pelvic exenteration. The endocrine therapy was added to non curative cases postoperatively. In the radical prostatectomy group, the 5-year survival rate of patients with stage A and stage B prostatic adenocarcinoma were 100 and 93 per cent, respectively, and 5-year survival rate of patients who had stage C prostatic adenocarcinoma was 75 per cent. The 5-year survival rates of patients with stage C prostatic adenocarcinoma treated by radical cystoprostatectomy and pelvic exenteration were 50 per cent and 66 per cent, respectively. Cancer recurrence has not seen in the bladder in the patients with stage C prostatic adenocarcinoma treated by radical prostatectomy. Operation of urinary diversion had improved the quality of life. From this data, radical prostatectomy would be indicated for the treatment of patients with stage A, stage B and stage C prostatic adenocarcinoma.     

Bilateral pelvic lymphadenectomy and radical retropubic prostatectomy for adenocarcinoma of prostate with regional lymph node involvement

Ninety-nine patients with adenocarcinoma of the prostate and regional lymph node involvement underwent pelvic lymphadenectomy. Therapeutic results were analyzed in 70 patients who subsequently underwent radical retropubic prostatectomy with or without concomitant therapy (usually hormonal) and in 29 patients who received radiation or hormonal treatment only but without prostatectomy. Follow-up ranged from one to fourteen and one-half years. The over-all projected survival rates (Kaplan-Meier) at five and ten years (88 per cent and 71 per cent, respectively,) in the prostatectomy series were comparable to those of an age-matched control group. Concomitant bilateral orchiectomy provided a high projected (76 per cent at ten years) nonprogression rate. Over-all survival rates in the nonprostateetomy series were poor. Only the number of nodes involved was associated with survival and time to disease progression. Patient age, tumor bulk, seminal vesicle involvement, and tumor grade (Mayo and Gleason scores) had no definite relationship to survival. Pelvic lymphadenectomy and radical retropubic prostatectomy for prostatic adenocareinoma may be therapeutic in some patients with limited (? two positive nodes) nodal disease.     

Adjuvant radiotherapy following radical prostatectomy: results and complications

Between 1954 and 1978, 148 patients underwent radical perineal prostatectomy for adenocarcinoma clinically confined to the prostate gland. This report is based on 45 of these patients with microscopic extension of disease beyond the gland and a minimum 5-year followup. Of the patients 22 received adjuvant external beam radiation therapy and 23 did not. The groups were comparable with regard to significant prognostic variables. Patient selection was by surgeon preference. Local recurrences were seen in 1 of 22 patients (5 per cent) receiving adjuvant radiotherapy and 7 of 23 (30 per cent) undergoing an operation alone (p less than 0.05). Of 8 patients with local recurrence 7 died of the disease. Delayed radiotherapy of a local recurrence generally was not effective in controlling the disease. Of the 11 patients who died of prostatic cancer with a mean followup of 9.2 years 3 received adjuvant radiotherapy and 8 did not. Severe but nonfatal long-term complications were seen in 14 per cent of the irradiated patients and 6 per cent of those treated with an operation alone. Most of the complications occurred in the earlier years of the study in patients who received 60cobalt radiotherapy. When clinical stage B cancer of the prostate is found to be pathological stage C following radical perineal prostatectomy, adjuvant radiotherapy can decrease the incidence of subsequent local recurrence. The potential risk of adjuvant radiation therapy should be weighed and its use considered, particularly in patients whose tumor extends to the surgical margins or who have seminal vesicle invasion.     

Radical prostatectomy. Patterns of local failure and survival in 67 patients

Sixty-seven patients with localized carcinoma of the prostate were treated by radical prostatectomy unaided by adjunctive hormonal therapy. Seven patients (10%) have been lost to follow-up, and 13 patients (19%) have died of other causes without evidence of prostate cancer. The crude or direct survival free of disease for traced patients with clinical Stage B1 nodules (11) and clinical B2 lesions (20) followed for at least fifteen years is 36 per cent and 25 per cent, respectively; the crude or direct survival free of disease for pathologic B (29) and C (12) tumors followed for fifteen years is 31 per cent and 8 per cent, respectively. The local failure incidence at fifteen years for pathologic Stage B tumors is 17 per cent and for pathologic C tumors 31 per cent. Capsular invasion alone on histologic examination did not increase the rate of local or distant failure above that noted for tumors that were entirely intracapsular. However, seminal vesicle invasion is associated with a 44 per cent local failure and 66 per cent distant failure rate. The interval between radical prostatectomy and first failure averaged sixty-nine months (median 56 months) and with hormonal therapy the interval between first failure and death averaged seventy months (median 62 months). The patients who underwent radical prostatectomy in this series represent 22 per cent of the 318 patients presenting with localized prostate cancer between 1960 and 1974. A 1.5-cm nodule was found in 5.5 per cent of the presenting population, and all but one of these patients were treated by radical prostatectomy.     

Yield from routine prostatic needle biopsy in patients more than 50 years old referred for urologic evaluation: a preliminary report

Approximately 10 per cent of the patients undergoing simple prostatectomy for presumed benign disease have clinically unsuspected prostatic carcinoma. In these patients curative treatments, such as radical prostatectomy and some forms of radiation therapy, often are compromised by the simple prostatectomy. To determine whether routine prostatic needle biopsy would be practical to identify patients with occult carcinoma a prospective study has been initiated of routine needle biopsy in patients more than 50 years old referred for urologic evaluation. To date 71 consecutive patients have been biopsied, 21 of whom underwent subsequent simple prostatectomy after negative needle biopsy. Carcinoma was found in none of 24 men not having prostatic induration, 4 of 36 (11 per cent) with minimal induration and 5 of 11 (45 per cent) with marked induration. The results indicate that the vast majority of the patients with prostatic carcinomas has some degree of palpable induration and that a high index of suspicion appears warranted when any prostatic induration is present on digital rectal examination.     

Impotence following radical prostatectomy: Insight into etiology and prevention

This study was undertaken to identify the cause of impotence in men undergoing radical prostatectomy, with the hope that this information may provide insight into the possible prevention of this complication. The autonomic innervation of the corpora cavernosa in the male fetus and newborn was traced to determine the topographical relationship between the pelvic nerve plexus, and the prostate, urethra and urogenital diaphragm. We have demonstrated that the branches of the pelvic plexus that innervate the corpora cavernosa are situated between the rectum and urethra, and penetrate the urogenital diaphragm near or in the muscular wall of the urethra. Injuries to the pelvic plexus can occur in 2 ways: 1) during division of the lateral pedicle and 2) at the time of apical dissection with transection of the urethra. Thirty-one men who underwent radical retropubic prostatectomy were evaluated to determine risk factors that correlated with postoperative impotence: 5 (16 per cent) were fully potent, 7 (23 per cent) had partial erections that were inadequate for sexual intercourse and 19 (61 per cent) had total erectile impotence. The 2 factors that had a favorable influence on postoperative potency were age and pathologic stage of the lesion: 31 per cent of the patients less than 60 years old were potent versus only 6 per cent of the patients more than 60 years, while 33 per cent of the patients with tumor microscopically confined to the prostatic capsule were potent versus only 5 per cent of those with capsular penetration. When the factors of age and capsular penetration were combined 60 per cent of the men less than 60 years old who had an intact prostatic capsule were potent. Arterial insufficiency and psychogenic factors were excluded as major contributing factors by the finding of normal penile blood flow and absence of nocturnal penile tumescence in the impotent patients. We conclude that impotence after radical prostatectomy results from injury to the pelvic nerve plexus that provides autonomic innervation to the corpora cavernosa. Further studies will be necessary to determine whether refinements in surgical technique, especially during ligation of the lateral pedicle and apical dissection, can prevent this complication.     

A population-based study of prostatectomy: outcomes associated with differing surgical approaches

Data from the universal health insurance system in Manitoba, Canada were used to describe the short-term (2 years) and long-term (8 years) outcomes associated with prostatectomy for nonmalignant conditions (all 2,699 procedures were performed from 1974 to 1976). In a system with high quality urological care (more than 90 per cent of the procedures were performed by urologists) no superior operative results for transurethral procedures were found. Postoperative mortality rates following transurethral prostatectomy were similar to or higher than rates for open procedures, and the rate of repeat prostatectomy, was considerably higher following transurethral resection. Dilation for urethral stricture was most common after suprapubic prostatectomy and least common after retropubic prostatectomy. Patients were followed for 8 years and those who underwent transurethral prostatectomy required an additional prostatic operation at a constant rate (2 per cent per year). By the end of the followup period 16.8 per cent of the transurethral prostatectomy patients had undergone a second prostatectomy compared to 7 per cent or less of those who initially underwent an open procedure.     

Operable prostatic carcinoma: correlations among clinical stage, pathological stage, gleason histological score and early disease-free survival

We investigated the relationships among clinical and pathological stages, Gleason histological score and early disease-free survival of 75 patients with localized prostatic carcinoma treated by radical prostatectomy. Carcinoma was confined histologically to the prostate in 81 per cent of the patients with clinical stage A2, 79 per cent with B1N, 38 per cent with B1 and 0 per cent with B2 tumors. The Gleason score correlated directly with clinical and pathological stages, estimated extent of intraprostatic tumor and invasive capacity of the primary tumor. Of the tumors with a Gleason score of 8 or more 81 per cent extended beyond the prostatic capsule. Of 12 patients who suffered distant metastases 9 had tumors that extended beyond the prostatic capsule and 5 had tumors with Gleason scores of 8 or more.     

Radical prostatectomy with adjuvant radioactive gold for prostatic cancer: a preliminary report

A total of 71 patients with prostatic carcinoma underwent radical prostatectomy combined with instillation of radioactive gold seeds between January 1, 1977 and July 1, 1982. Gold seeds were implanted intraoperatively into the region of the prostatic vascular pedicles and surrounding fibrolymphatic tissue after removal of the prostate and seminal vesicles. Of the patients with disease confined to the prostate clinically 46.7 per cent had microscopic extraprostatic local tumor extension. We believe that patients with extraprostatic local tumor derive therapeutic benefit from the addition of adjuvant radioactive gold seeds at prostatectomy. Because of the inaccuracy of clinical staging by rectal examination, we have elected to use radioactive gold seeds in all of our patients at prostatectomy. To date, local recurrence has been noted in 5.6 per cent of our patients and systemic progression in 14.1 per cent.     

Risk of urinary incontinence following radical prostatectomy

Of 143 prostatic cancer patients treated with radical prostatectomy 38 had undergone transurethral resection of the prostate before the prostatectomy. After radical prostatectomy 5 per cent of the patients who did not have a resection and 8.1 per cent of those who did were severely incontinent. This difference is not statistically significant.     

Postoperative radiotherapy for patients with carcinoma of the prostate undergoing radical prostatectomy with positive surgical margins, seminal vesicle involvement and/or penetration through the capsule

Between 1970 and 1983, 442 patients were treated for carcinoma of the prostate at our university medical center. Of the patients 319 underwent radical prostatectomy and 159 (50 per cent) had positive surgical margins and/or seminal vesicle involvement. Of these 159 patients 46 received postoperative irradiation and the actuarial survival was 96, 90 and 90 per cent at 5, 10 and 15 years, respectively. Among the remaining 113 patients who were treated with an operation alone the corresponding figures were 82, 62 and 21 per cent, respectively (p equals 0.02). Considering deaths only of cancer, the surgery only patients had a 15-year actuarial survival of 25 per cent compared to 90 per cent for those who underwent postoperative radiotherapy (p equals 0.07). Actuarial survival free of disease for the surgery plus postoperative irradiation group at 15 years was 40 per cent compared to 28 per cent for the surgery only group (p equals 0.34). Actuarial local control in the irradiated patients was 96 per cent at 15 years versus 32 per cent for the surgery only group (p equals 0.009). Actuarial survival free of distant disease at 15 years was 42 per cent in the irradiated versus 72 per cent in the nonirradiated groups (p equals 0.104). Severe complications attributable to radiation included 3 cases of radiation cystitis, 1 patient with urinary incontinence and leg edema in 9 per cent of the patients undergoing postoperative irradiation compared to 2 per cent of those treated with radical prostatectomy only. Postoperative irradiation appears to be indicated in patients with carcinoma of the prostate who undergo radical prostatectomy and who have positive margins and/or seminal vesicle involvement. Local control is markedly improved (p equals 0.009) and actuarial survival also is benefitted. There was a trend toward decreased deaths of cancer with postoperative irradiation that approached statistical significance. Postoperative irradiation did not improve survival rates free of disease and free of distant disease over those achieved with surgery alone. This finding suggests that while postoperative irradiation may not improve the ultimate cure rate by controlling local disease, early deaths of cancer are reduced resulting in a meaningful increase in survival for these patients.     

The value of serum prostate specific antigen determinations before and after radical prostatectomy

We evaluated serum prostate specific antigen before and after radical prostatectomy. In 100 consecutive patients who underwent radical prostatectomy, preoperative prostate specific antigen levels tended to increase with the increasing severity of pathological stage. However, even at levels of greater than 10 ng. per ml. the positive and negative predictive values (78 and 61 per cent, respectively) of prostate specific antigen to predict extracapsular disease were not sufficient to make this test useful alone for staging. In theory, after radical prostatectomy prostate specific antigen should be zero if no remaining prostatic tissue is present. Tests of precision and analytical sensitivity in our laboratory using a commercial prostate specific antigen assay revealed that a value of 0.4 ng. per ml. or more is different from zero at a greater than 95 per cent confidence level. With this guideline we evaluated the meaning of prostate specific antigen levels 3 to 6 months after radical prostatectomy in 59 men. Among men whose prostate specific antigen level was less than 0.4 ng. per ml. only 9 per cent demonstrated recurrence as evidenced by the development of positive bone scan or progressively elevated prostate specific antigen levels within 6 to 50 months. Alternatively, in men whose 3 to 6-month prostate specific antigen level was 0.4 ng per ml. or more there was evidence of recurrence in 100 per cent within 6 to 49 months (p less than 0.0001). Progressively elevated (more than 0.4 ng. per ml.) prostate specific antigen levels preceded recurrence from 12 to 43 months in all 6 patients who had positive bone scans, while increasing prostate specific antigen levels since radical prostatectomy have continued from 9 to 65 months in the 11 patients who have no radiological evidence of recurrent disease to date. Prostatic acid phosphatase serum values after radical prostatectomy were not useful to predict persistent disease. Prostate specific antigen values 3 to 6 months after radical prostatectomy are a sensitive indicator of persistent disease after radical prostatectomy and often precede other evidence of this occurrence by many years. This fact may alter concepts about surgical results, and possibly shorten and sharpen clinical studies involving adjuvant therapy after radical prostatectomy.     

Total prostatectomy for localized prostatic cancer

Several treatment options currently are available for the patient with clinically localized carcinoma of the prostate and each has its proponents. Comparison of results between institutions becomes necessary to determine the relative value of these treatments, keeping in mind the absence of a suitable control group in any series. Such inter-institutional treatment comparisons are possible only if the patient compositions are similar in terms of age, grade and extent of disease. Comparisons of patients with stage B disease frequently are made because most urologists agree that these patients have palpable disease confined to the prostate and no evidence of metastasis. At our clinic willing patients with clinically localized adenocarcinoma of the prostate who have an expected 15-year survival are treated preferentially with total prostatectomy. We summarize our experience with total prostatectomy in 215 consecutive patients, including 213 who were available for followup. There were 16 patients with clinical stage A, 195 with clinical stage B and 2 with clinical stage C disease. Of these patients 207 underwent radical perineal prostatectomy and there were no operative deaths. Patients did not receive adjuvant hormonal therapy unless disease recurred. Of the 110 patients who have undergone the operation within the last 5 years 98 per cent are alive. Actual survival and survival free of disease, respectively, for the entire series were 55 and 48 per cent at 15 years, 75 and 67 per cent at 10 years, and 94 and 86 per cent at 5 years, compared to 55 and 48, 74 and 67, and 95 and 90 per cent, respectively, for the 195 patients with clinical stage B disease. We believe these results demonstrate that in terms of local control of the disease, over-all survival and survival free of disease total prostatectomy remains the optimal treatment for patients with clinically localized carcinoma of the prostate.     

Morbidity of radical perineal prostatectomy following transurethral resection of the prostate

Radical prostatectomy in patients who have had prior transurethral resection of the prostate has been reported to result in significant morbidity. From 1974 to 1982, 30 patients who had had previous transurethral resection of the prostate underwent radical perineal prostatectomy for localized prostatic cancer. Operative time and blood loss were similar to a group of patients who had not had prior transurethral resection of the prostate. Over-all, 3 patients (10 per cent) had total incontinence and 3 (10 per cent) had stress incontinence requiring a pad or device. No patient undergoing radical prostatectomy less than 4 weeks or more than 4 months after transurethral resection of the prostate had postoperative incontinence. When radical perineal prostatectomy was performed between 4 weeks and 4 months after transurethral resection of the prostate the incidence of incontinence was 50 per cent. Five patients experienced prolonged perineal urinary drainage, all but 1 of whom healed spontaneously. Of the 6 patients with incontinence 3 had prolonged drainage. No patient had a rectal injury and there was no operative mortality. Two patients died without cancer and 1 has evidence of disease recurrence. We conclude that radical prostatectomy may be performed safely with acceptable morbidity following transurethral resection of the prostate and that if 4 weeks has elapsed since resection it might be advantageous to wait 4 months before performing radical surgery to lessen the risk of incontinence.     

Radical prostatectomy for stage D1 prostate cancer. Prognostic variables and results of treatment

Surgical extirpation of the primary tumor together with the involved regional nodes has been considered ineffective treatment for locally disseminated prostatic carcinoma. We retrospectively reviewed our experience with 42 patients with Stage D1 disease who underwent radical prostatectomy and bilateral pelvic lymphadenectomy and who had a follow-up of one to thirteen years (mean 5 years). The following variables affecting survival and tumor progression were analyzed: (1) tumor grade and local extent; (2) number of positive lymph nodes, and (3) adjuvant therapy. The overall five- and ten-year survival was 79.5 per cent and 28 per cent compared with the expected survival of an age-matched control group of 88 per cent and 28 per cent, respectively. The degree of tumor differentiation had no effect on prognosis, but local tumor bulk and the number of involved lymph nodes significantly changed the disease progression and survival rate. Patients with low local tumor bulk and one positive node survived as long as the age-matched male population group. Our data suggest that radical prostatectomy may represent a valuable treatment in selected patients with Stage D1 prostate carcinoma.     

Cause-specific actuarial survival analysis: a useful method for reporting survival data in men with clinically localized carcinoma of the prostate

The primary objective of this retrospective 15-year survival analysis of 57 men with clinical stage B1 carcinoma of the prostate undergoing radical prostatectomy between 1951 and 1963 is to compute the cause-specific curve for these men and argue why it is a useful method to report survival data in men with clinically localized prostatic cancer. Historically, survival following radical prostatectomy and radiotherapy has been reported using all cause survival analysis. Cause-specific survival focuses on the impact of a disease process on survival, since men dying of causes unrelated to carcinoma of the prostate are considered lost to followup as of date of death of such unrelated causes. Cause-specific survival analysis reduces the impact of age, medical condition and other risk factors on survival rates. The cause-specific 15-year actuarial survival rate in our patients was 86 per cent. The 95 per cent confidence interval for this 15-year survival rate was 76.9 to 90.1 per cent. Based upon this series of patients with clinical stage B1 carcinoma of the prostate who undergo radical prostatectomy one may state that the chance of death of carcinoma of the prostate within 15 years of surgery averages 14 +/- 5 per cent. The cause-specific survival curve reached a plateau at 10 years, indicating that most men who survive 10 years are cured of the disease. With the Cox model regression analysis, mortality in this series was related positively to age at operation when the outcome variable was death of all causes (p equals 0.003) but it was unrelated to age when the outcome variable was prostate cancer mortality (p equals 0.85). Cause-specific survival rates are a more precise indicator of the impact of a therapeutic modality on survival and, therefore, they are useful to report survival data in men with localized carcinoma of the prostate and other disease when death from competing causes is an important consideration.     

Perioperative and postoperative complications from bilateral pelvic lymphadenectomy and radical retropubic prostatectomy

The complications experienced by 692 consecutive patients who underwent bilateral pelvic lymphadenectomy and radical retropubic prostatectomy from 1978 through 1984 were analyzed. Four patients (0.6 per cent) died in the perioperative or early postoperative period. Pulmonary embolus developed in 19 patients (2.7 per cent) and severe to total urinary incontinence occurred in 34 (5 per cent). Our large series suggests that radical retropubic prostatectomy with staging bilateral pelvic lymphadenectomy can be performed in a safe manner with minimal postoperative morbidity.