Radical prostatectomy for carcinoma of the prostate: long-term follow-up of 115 patients

From July 1969 to September 1990, 370 patients with prostatic cancer underwent radical prostatectomy at our institution. Of these 370 patients, 115 consecutive patients could be followed for more than 10 years (mean 12.5). Patients with stage pT1-pT3 tumors received no further treatment until progression occurred. Patients with regional lymph node metastases (stages pT2-3pN1-2M0) were treated by either an immediate orchiectomy or an adjuvant hormonal therapy. No radiotherapy was applied prior to radical prostatectomy or thereafter. Of the 115 patients followed for more than 10 years, 84 had stage pT1-2, 22 had stage pT3, and 9 had stage pT2-3pN1-2 tumors. The observed 10-year survival rate of all 115 patients (including those with regional lymph node metastases) was found to be 67.0%. The 10-year disease-free survival rate was 58.3% and the tumor-related survival rate was 83.5%. Considering only patients with locally confined (stage pT1-2) tumors, the 10-year survival rate was 75.0%. This observed survival rate equals the 10-year survival expectancy of a male age-matched control population (69.9%). Progression (local recurrence or distant metastatic spread) was noted in 27.8% of patients within the 10-year interval after radical prostatectomy. Within this time interval, 16.5% of the patients died from their disease.     

Does Neoadjuvant and Adjuvant Treatment Improve Outcome in Localised Prostatic Cancer?

ObjectivesThis paper reviews neoadjuvant and adjuvant hormone therapy in localised or locally advanced prostate cancer.MethodsWe searched MEDLINE (1966–2007). Randomised or quasi-randomised controlled trials of patients with localised or locally advanced prostate cancer, that is, stages T1–T4, any N, M0, comparing neoadjuvant or adjuvant hormonal deprivation in combination with primary therapy (radical radiotherapy or radical prostatectomy) versus primary therapy alone were reviewed.ResultsNeoadjuvant hormonal therapy prior to prostatectomy does not improve overall survival. However, a significant reduction was noted in the positive surgical margin rate and a significant improvement in other pathologic variables such as lymph node involvement, pathologic staging, and organ-confined rates. The use of longer duration of neoadjuvant hormones, that is, either 6 or 8 mo prior to prostatectomy, is associated with a significant reduction in positive surgical margins. Neoadjuvant hormones before radiotherapy significantly improves both clinical disease-free survival and biochemical disease-free survival. Adjuvant androgen deprivation following prostatectomy significantly improves disease-free survival at both 5 and 10 yr but does not improve overall survival at 5 yr. Adjuvant therapy following radiotherapy results in a significant improvement in disease-specific survival and disease-free survival at 5 yr and a significant overall survival gain at 5 and 10 yr.ConclusionsHormone therapy combined with either prostatectomy or radiotherapy is associated with significant clinical benefits in patients with local or locally advanced prostate cancer. It not only provides a method for local control, but evidence also suggests a significant survival advantage if radiotherapy is the primary form of local therapy.     

Treatment for locally advanced prostate cancer: value of surgery

Surgical therapy is not only a therapeutic method but also an important procedure to provide useful information in determining a postoperative treatment strategy. Compared with postoperative cancer staging based on specimens obtained during surgery, more than 30% of cancers were inaccurately staged preoperatively, even when a current advanced diagnostic imaging technique was used. Compared with postoperative histological 30-40% of cancer staging were inaccurately staged based on a preoperative biopsy. These misstaging cases pose a significantly important problem. Approximately 15% and 30% of clinical stage C prostate cancers have been rated as pT2 and pN(+), respectively. Patients with pT3 prostate cancer who underwent radical prostatectomy had 5-year and 10-year overall survival rates of 82% and 67%, respectively, which were comparable to those in patients with pT2 prostate cancer (82% and 67%, respectively). However, patients with prostate cancer rated as pT4 and pN(+) had very poor outcomes with 5-year overall survival rates of 42.4% and 32.6%, respectively. Therefore, even in patients with stage C prostate cancer, surgical therapy should be recommended if no infiltration of adjacent tissue has been noted and the operation is applicable; and an optimal postoperative therapeutic strategy should be selected based on the accurate pathological staging and histological grading using postoperative pathological specimens. Such approaches will prevent unnecessary hormone therapy in patients with pT2 prostate cancer and prevent missing optimal timing for radical cure, as well as allowing appropriate therapy to be selected for patients with pT4 and pN(+) prostate cancer, for whom prognosis may be poor.     

Treatment of locally advanced prostate cancer--the case for radical prostatectomy

The treatment of clinically locally advanced prostate carcinoma (stage cT3) remains controversial. One of the main reasons for this controversy results from the substantial staging error attached to the clinical diagnosis cT3 with overstaged T2 tumors and understaged node-positive cases. Treatment options in this situation include radical prostatectomy, external beam radiotherapy, immediate or delayed androgen deprivation treatment and the so-called 'watchful waiting'. Acceptable and often surprisingly good tumor-specific survival rates have been reported for radical prostatectomy in pT3 series--based on good clinical case selection--approaching those of pT2 series. In lymph node-positive pT3 cases, adjuvant hormone deprivation seems to prolong survival which it does not in lymph node-negative pT3 disease. A benefit of adjuvant external beam radiotherapy after radical prostatectomy for pT3 cases in prolonging overall survival has not been shown, despite the fact that it can prevent or delay biochemical and local recurrence. External beam radiotherapy as the only treatment for cT3 disease results in unfavorable tumor-specific survival rates, which can be significantly improved with adjuvant hormonal treatment with LHRH agonists. If, in case of advanced age and/or significant comorbidity, primary hormonal treatment is chosen, early hormonal deprivation therapy seems to offer marginal benefits in survival compared to delayed treatment.     

Does microinvasion of the capsule and/or micrometastases in regional lymph nodes influence disease-free survival after radical prostatectomy?

Since 1976, 126 patients with clinically localised carcinoma of the prostate have been managed by radical retropubic prostatectomy. All patients with tumour spread beyond the capsule or metastasis in lymph nodes received radiotherapy. Tumour category pT3 was divided into invasion of the capsule or infiltration of the seminal vesicle. The disease-free 10-year survival rate in patients with minimal invasion of the capsule was 72% and in patients with infiltration of the seminal vesicles it was 26%. Unilateral lymph node metastases were classified as microscopic disease or macroscopic infiltration. The disease-free 10-year survival rate in patients with metastasis in 1 lymph node (micro- and macro-metastasis) was 65% in contrast to 0% in patients with bilateral disease.     

Therapie des lokal fortgeschrittenen Prostatakarzinoms

The management of clinically locally advanced prostate carcinoma (cT3) remains a controversial issue. The clinical stage cT3 consists of a mixture of overstaged T2 carcinomas but also contains lymph node-positive cases. Treatment options consist of radical prostatectomy, external beam radiotherapy, hormonal deprivation (early or delayed) and the so-called watchful waiting. In many cases multimodal therapy is used. Radical prostatectomy in the clinical stage T3 can achieve acceptable tumour-specific survival rates if patients are well selected. In this way, tumour-specific survival rates can be reached for pT3 patients which closely approach those of pT2 cases. In lymph node-positive cases after radical prostatectomy adjuvant hormonal treatment can prolong survival, but not in lymph node-negative cases. A benefit of adjuvant radiotherapy after radical prostatectomy has not been proven. Although it can postpone or prevent biochemical recurrence, it does not prolong overall survival. Treatment of stage cT3 by external beam radiotherapy alone results in unfavourable tumour-specific survival rates. In these cases definite improvement can be achieved by adjuvant androgen deprivation with LHRH analogues. If in case of severe comorbidity or advanced age primary hormonal treatment is chosen, early vs deferred treatment seems to prolong survival marginally.     

Optimal treatment of locally advanced prostate cancer

The treatment of clinically locally advanced prostate cancer (cT3–4) is subject to controversies. Patients with lymph node metastases as well as patients with overstaged localized and thus curable disease fall into this category. Radical prostatectomy, external beam radiotherapy and early or deferred hormonal therapy are possible treatment options. Multimodal treatment (i.e., a combination of these options) is frequently used. After radical prostatectomy, Gleason score-adjusted disease-specific survival does not differ meaningfully between the tumor stages pT2 and pT3–4. In the case of lymph node metastases after radical prostatectomy, but not in node-negative disease, adjuvant hormonal treatment seems to improve survival. Adjuvant radiotherapy may improve biochemical and local control in locally advanced prostate cancer, a survival benefit has, however, not yet been proven. External beam radiotherapy alone provides unfavourable survival rates in locally advanced prostate cancer. Adjuvant hormonal treatment may improve outcome in this setting. When no curative treatment is chosen, early hormonal treatment seems to provide modest benefit compared with deferred therapy.     

即刻辅助内分泌治疗在高危局限期或局部晚期前列腺癌根治性手术后的应用价值

目的:以术后2年PSA复发率评价高危局限期或局部晚期前列腺癌根治性手术后即刻辅助内分泌治疗(AHT)的疗效。方法:回顾性总结在2010年9月至2012年3月在我院泌尿外科确诊为高危局限期或者局部晚期的62例前列腺癌患者。所有患者在术前(腹腔镜或耻骨后前列腺癌根治术)均行MRI、ECT(全身骨显像检查),均未发现有区域盆腔淋巴结及骨转移。其中32例患者(A组)在手术后2周至1个月内给予辅助内分泌治疗(AHT),包括口服及注射药物;30例患者(B组)术后未采取任何处理措施。所有患者在术后每3个月复查1次PSA,每6个月行1次ECT检查,每3个月随访1次(包括患者的药物不良反应、用药持续时间及剂量、生存质量),共计2年。结果:A组中有7例患者生化复发,其2年的总体无生化复发率为78.13%。B组中有14例生化复发,其2年的总体无生化复发率为53.33%(P0.05)。结论:高危局限期或局部晚期前列腺癌根治性手术后即刻AHT可以提高患者无生化复发生存率,对控制该疾病的进一步发展甚至术后的转移有重要意义。     

Radical prostatectomy as primary monotherapy in capsular-penetrating prostate cancer. Results over 15 years

Summary Twenty-five patients with locally advanced prostate cancer (stage pT3pN0) underwent pelvic lymphadenectomy and radical prostatectomy and were followed up thereafter for at least 15 years. No hormonal treatment was given prior to tumor progression. Overall and disease-free 15-year survival rates were observed to be 44 and 24 %, respectively. These data suggest that a cure from prostate cancer by radical prostatectomy can be expected in a quarter of patients with capsular penetration. From our results, no justification can be derived to exclude radical prostatectomy from the spectrum of treatment options for patients with capsular penetration of prostate cancer. More detailed analysis of the results depending on the local extent of the tumor and histological grade revealed distinct differences with respect to the risk of progression. Histological grade was the single most predictive parameter of progression. Out of all subgroups of patients with capsular penetration of prostate cancer, those with a poorly differentiated tumor showed the shortest progression-free interval after surgery, the highest level of overall progression and the largest proportion of tumor-related deaths. By contrast, the prognosis was only slightly influenced by the presence or absence of seminal vesicle involvement. The role of adjuvant treatment after radical prostatectomy for patients with stage pT3pN0 prostate cancer or for subgroups of them remains to be determined within the scope of prospective randomized trials.      

Clinicopathological outcome of radical retropubic prostatectomy for 200 men with prostate cancer in a single institution in Japan

The objective of this study was to retrospectively evaluate the clinicopathological outcome of radical retropubic prostatectomy (RRP) performed at a single institution in Japan. A consecutive series of 200 patients with prostate cancer who underwent RRP and pelvic lymphadenectomy between March 1985 and April 2003 were included in this study. The median age at RRP and the observation period were 69 years old and 43 months, respectively. Clinicopathological findings were reviewed to determine parameters providing predictive information about biochemical recurrence-free, cause-specific, and overall survivals. The pathological stage was pT0 in 7 patients (3.5%), pT2a in 43 (21.5%), pT2b in 58 (29.0%), pT3a in 42 (21.0%) pT3b in 36 (18.0%), and pT4 in 14 (7.0%). Lymph node metastasis was detected in 32 of 200 patients (16.0%). Forty-seven patients (23.5%) received neoadjuvant hormonal therapy, while 48 (24.0%) underwent hormonal therapy alone or hormonal therapy plus radiotherapy following RRP as an adjuvant treatment. During the observation period, 4 patients (2.0%) died of prostate cancer, 11 (5.5%) died of other diseases and biochemical recurrence occurred in 23 (11.5%), when biochemical recurrence was defined as prostate specific antigen (PSA) persistently greater than 0.4 ng/ml. Five-year biochemical recurrence-free, cause-specific, and overall survival rates were 83.6%, 97.7% and 91.4%, respectively. Furthermore, multivariate analyses showed that lymph node metastasis or clinical stage was an independent predictive factor for cause-specific or overall survival, respectively. These findings suggest that it would be possible to achieve a favorable cancer control for patients with localized prostate cancer, including locally advanced cases, by the RRP-based combination therapies.     

Long-term results of adjuvant hormonal therapy plus radiotherapy following radical prostatectomy for patients with pT3N0 or pT3N1 prostate cancer

BACKGROUND: The objective of the present study was to evaluate the efficacy of adjuvant androgen suppression in conjunction with external beam irradiation after radical prostatectomy in patients with pathologically confirmed extraprostatic disease. METHODS: Between July 1988 and October 1999, 38 patients with pT3N0 or pT3N1 prostate cancer received adjuvant hormonal therapy and external beam irradiation following radical retropubic prostatectomy and pelvic lymphadenectomy. Administration of luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone analog or castration were initiated as an adjuvant androgen suppression within 4 weeks after surgery, whereas pelvic irradiation was performed at a median dose of 50 G within 3 months after surgery. The prognostic advantage of this combined adjuvant therapy was analyzed. RESULTS: During the median observation period of 92 months, biochemical recurrence occurred in four of the 38 patients and five patients died. Of these five patients, only one died of prostate cancer progression. The 10-year biochemical recurrence-free, cancer-specific and overall survival rates of the 38 patients were 86.7%, 90.9% and 78.7%, respectively. Among several factors examined, only tumor grade was significantly associated with biochemical recurrence-free survival in these patients; however, there were no factors that were independent predictors for biochemical recurrence, based on multivariate analysis. Furthermore, biochemical recurrence-free survival in the 38 patients was significantly superior to that in 54 patients with locally advanced disease who did not receive any postoperative therapies until biochemical recurrence; however, there was no significant difference in cancer-specific and overall survival between these two groups. CONCLUSION: Despite retrospective analysis with a relatively small number of patients, results of the present study suggest favorable effects of the combined adjuvant treatments with androgen ablation and pelvic irradiation on cancer control for patients with pT3N0 or pT3N1 disease. However, considering the absence of a significant difference in cancer-specific and overall survival between patients with and without adjuvant treatments, it might not be necessary to routinely perform combined hormonal and radiation therapies in an adjuvant setting for pT3N0 or pT3N1 prostate cancer.     

Radical prostatectomy for adenocarcinoma of the prostate: The influence of preoperative and pathologic findings on biochemical disease-free outcome

Objective. This retrospective study evaluated the outcome for a cohort of men undergoing radical retropubic prostatectomy alone as primary treatment for clinical T1–2 prostate adenocarcinoma.Methods. Sixty-two patients treated at Boston University Medical Center between 1987 and 1992 underwent radical prostatectomy alone without adjuvant or neoadjuvant endocrine therapy. Actuarial and multivariate analyses were made of disease-free outcome according to preoperative tumor T stage, prostate-specific antigen (PSA), and biopsy grade, and according to the pathologic findings at surgery. Recurrence was defined as the persistence or recurrence of detectable serum PSA four or more weeks following surgery.Results. Of all patients judged clinically to have localized disease (T1–2), 52 percent proved to have pathologic T3 tumors. Of these, 81 percent had positive surgical margins. The strongest preoperative predictors of pT3 disease were the biopsy Gleason grade and the initial serum PSA value. Actuarial analysis showed the overall likelihood of remaining free from detectable PSA at four years to be 43 percent (75% for those with organ-confined disease and 27% for those who were pT3). The poorest prognosis was seen in those with seminal vesicle involvement. Biopsy Gleason grade and initial PSA were independent preoperative predictors of biochemical failure in a Cox regression analysis but clinical T stage was not.Conclusions. The biopsy Gleason grade and initial PSA were identified as strong preoperative predictors of disease-free outcome. We confirmed the favorable prognosis of men with organ-confined disease, but emphasize the high likelihood of relapse in those with positive surgical margins or seminal vesicle invasion.     

Spontaneous priapism after radical retropubic prostatectomy

We present the first case of priapism following radical prostatectomy. A 66-year-old man with normal erections underwent radical retropubic prostatectomy with unilateral nerve sparing. Pathology showed a pT2c pN0 Gleason score 3 + 3 = 6 prostate cancer and the postoperative course was uneventful. Ten days after surgery he recognized a spontaneous painful penile erection without sexual stimulation which occurred in a standing position and disappeared in a supine position. These episodes recurred several times during the next 3 weeks and then completely vanished. Pathophysiologically, we postulate intermittent position-depending venous obstruction due to local hematoma or thrombosis.     

Radical prostatectomy can provide a cure for well-selected clinical stage T3 prostate cancer

OBJECTIVE: Radical prostatectomy is commonly believed not to achieve the eradication of locally advanced disease. This retrospective study aimed to elucidate the role of radical prostatectomy in this condition. METHODS: A retrospective study of 158 patients surgically treated for clinical stage T3N0M0 prostate cancer was undertaken. Thirty patients had postoperative hormonal treatment, rendering prostate-specific antigen (PSA) follow-up unreliable, and were considered to be progressive at 1 month. Eighteen other patients received postoperative radiotherapy. One hundred and ten patients had radical prostatectomy only. PSA-relapse-free survival was analyzed. The mean follow-up time was 30 months. RESULTS: Seventy-nine percent of the resected specimens were pathologically T3 (pT3), and about 25% were pT3c. Thirteen percent were pT2 and 8% were pT4. Ninety-five specimens (60%) had positive surgical margins. There was poor accordance between the biopsy Gleason score and that of the specimen. A multivariate analysis showed that seminal vesicle and nodal invasion, margin status and a PSA level above 10 ng/ml were independent prognostic factors. In 47 cT3a patients with PSA <10 ng/ml, the PSA-free survival rate exceeded 70% at 24 months and the 5-year estimated PSA-free survival rate was more than 60%. CONCLUSIONS: Radical prostatectomy has a place in the treatment of clinical stage T3 prostate cancer patients with a PSA value lower than 10 ng/ml. There is a need to definitively rule out nodal or seminal vesicle invasion in order to select those patients that can benefit from surgery.     

ROLE OF EARLY ADJUVANT HORMONAL THERAPY AFTER RADICAL PROSTATECTOMY FOR PROSTATE CANCER

PURPOSE: Recent prospective randomized studies have shown that adjuvant hormonal therapy combined with local treatment can significantly improve overall survival in patients with locally advanced disease. This finding challenges the previous belief that adjuvant hormonal therapy may not be beneficial for minimal stages TxN + M0 or less prostate cancer, particularly when combined with local treatment. We reviewed the benefits of adjuvant hormonal therapy in patients at risk for disease progression, especially when administered after radical prostatectomy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the current literature and evaluated clinical information on stage pT3b cancer from a large single institution prostate cancer database to determine the current role of adjuvant hormonal therapy after radical prostatectomy for prostate cancer. RESULTS: Retrospective experimental and clinical studies have proved the impact of adjuvant hormonal therapy for decreasing prostate specific antigen (PSA) and clinical disease progression in patients with regionally limited prostatic cancer. This finding applies to stage pT3b as well as to lymph node positive cancer. Our literature review and current data from the Mayo Clinic database show that adjuvant hormonal therapy after prostatectomy has a significant impact on prostate specific antigen (PSA) progression but it also decreases systemic progression and cause specific death in patients with stage pT3b and lymph node positive disease. After adjusting for preoperative PSA, margins, grade, ploidy and patient age the risk ratio for stage pT3b disease in 707 cases was 0.3 (95% confidence interval 0.2 to 0.7). A recent prospective randomized trial showed a significant decrease in cancer death in N+ cases when adjuvant hormonal therapy was administered after radical prostatectomy, supporting previous Mayo Clinic data on N+ disease that favors combination therapy. In the PSA era, that is 1987 and after, our database data on stage pTxN+ cancer indicates that radical prostatectomy and hormonal therapy for single node positive disease resulted in 94% 10-year cause specific survival, which was not significantly different from the rate in patients with N0 disease after adjusting for local stage, Gleason grade, margins, ploidy, PSA and adjuvant hormonal therapy. CONCLUSIONS: Our literature review, including prospective randomized studies, and more recent results in the PSA era from our database indicate that early adjuvant hormonal therapy has a significant impact on time to progression and cause specific survival in patients with seminal vesicle invasion and limited lymph node disease who undergo radical prostatectomy, although in a retrospective nonrandomized study. Future prospective studies with longer followup are needed to evaluate the potential benefit of adjuvant treatment in regard to survival for stages pT2 and pT3a disease with unfavorable pathological variables.     

Prediction of organ-confined disease by prostate-specific antigen nadir after neoadjuvant therapy.

BACKGROUND: It is not clear whether or not serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels after androgen deprivation prior to radical prostatectomy (neoadjuvant therapy) have any value in the prediction of the final pathologic stage. METHODS: We conducted a study on 49 patients who underwent retropubic radical prostatectomy following neoadjuvant therapy for clinical stage T1c, T2, and T3a prostate cancer. We evaluated progression-free survival based on the PSA failure rate and the predictive value of the PSA nadir after neoadjuvant therapy and other clinical factors to determine the most important predictor of organ confinement. RESULTS: Of the 49 patients, 30 had organ-confined disease. Of 31 patients without adjuvant therapy after surgery, the PSA failure-free rates at 2 years were 81.6 and 34.3% in the subset of organ-confined disease and non-organ-confined disease, respectively (P= 0.0031). Of the 18 patients with adjuvant androgen deprivation therapy after surgery, the PSA failure-free rate at 2 years was 100% and 59.7% in patients with organ-confined disease and non-organ-confined disease, respectively. Baseline PSA (P=0.037), PSA nadir (P<0.0001) and PSA density (P=0.003) significantly correlated with organ confinement. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that the PSA nadir was the only independent predictor of organ confinement (P = 0.044). CONCLUSIONS: There was a trend that the patients with non organ-confined disease had a higher probability of PSA failure than did the patients with organ-confined disease. The PSA nadir after neoadjuvant therapy was the strongest predictor of organ confinement. The predictive value of the serum PSA nadir should be validated in well-designed larger population-based studies.     

Oncologic Outcome after Extraperitoneal Laparoscopic Radical Prostatectomy: Midterm Follow-up of 1115 Procedures

Background

Although the first laparoscopic radical prostatectomy was performed in 1997, few midterm oncologic data have been published for the extraperitoneal procedure.

Objective

To determine the oncologic outcome of extraperitoneal laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (ELRP).

Design, setting, and participants

From 2000 to 2007, 1115 consecutive patients underwent ELRP for a localized prostate cancer at our department. Follow-up was scheduled and standardized for all patients and recorded into a prospective database. Median postoperative follow-up was 35.6 mo.

Intervention

All ELRP were performed by three surgeons at the Department of Urology, Hospital Henri Mondor, Créteil, France.

Measurements

Biochemical recurrence was defined by prostate-specific antigen level ≥0.2 ng/ml.

Results and limitations

In pN0/pNx cancers, postoperative stage was pT2 in 664 patients (59.5%), pT3 in 350 patients (31.4%), and pT4 in 77 patients (6.9%). Positive lymph nodes were reported in 24 patients (2.2%). Margins were positive in 16.1% and 34.6% of pT2 and pT3 cancers, respectively. Final Gleason score was <7 in 288 men (25.8%), =7 in 701 men (62.9%), and >7 in 126 men (11.3%). Overall prostate-specific antigen (PSA) recurrence-free survival was 83% at 5 yr. The 5-yr progression-free survival rates were 93.4% for pT2, 74.5% for pT3a, and 55.0% for pT3b tumors, respectively. Multivariate Cox model showed that PSA, Gleason score, pT category, nodal status, and surgical margins were significant independent predictors of biochemical recurrence-free survival.

Conclusions

This assessment of oncologic results demonstrates that ELRP is a safe and effective procedure. On the basis of midterm follow-up data, the prognostic factors of PSA after ELRP failure are the same as those described previously in transperitoneal or open retropubic approaches. The oncologic results of ELRP also are in line with those reported with the use of the retropubic or the transperitoneal laparoscopic approaches.     

Selection criteria for radical prostatectomy with reference to long-term results]

Between July 1969 and May 1991 radical prostatectomies were performed in 410 consecutive patients with prostate cancer at the Department of Urology, University of Würzburg. The calculated survival rates for these 410 patients up to 15 years after surgery are very similar to the life expectancy of the normal male age-matched population. In 127 of the 410 cases radical prostatectomy was carried out more than 10 years ago, so that the data relating to these cases have been definitely observed, not merely statistically evaluated. In order to permit a comparison of our results with those reported in the literature, the TNM classification of 1979 was utilized in this study. This means that only tumors penetrating through the capsule of the prostate were classified as stage pT3. Those tumors that are only infiltrating the apex or the prostatic capsule, are classified as stage pT2. For patients with stage pT1pN0M0 and pT2pN0M0-tumors, 10-year survival rates (90.5% and 70% respectively) were recorded which are even slightly better than those of the normal male age-matched population. For patients with tumors extending through the capsule, the 10-year survival rate was found to be 60%. Forty percent ot these patients with stage pT3pN0M0 disease are alive tumor-free after more than 10 years and can thus be regarded as cured. When lymph node metastases were present (stage pT2-3pN1-2M0), some of the patients appeared to benefit from radical prostatectomy, since 4 out of 11 patients with this stage disease survived for more than 10 years.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Is neoadjuvant hormonal therapy before radical prostatectomy indicated?

INTRODUCTION: Despite the success of surgical monotherapy in treating patients with organ-confined disease, nearly half of all patients undergoing radical prostatectomy will be pathologically upstaged on evaluation of the operative specimen. One possible means of improving the proportion of patients with organ-confined disease and cancer-negative margins at surgery is implementing neoadjuvant androgen deprivation therapy. Studies evaluating the use of neoadjuvant hormonal therapy (NHT) before radical prostatectomy will be reviewed, and outcomes will be discussed. METHODS: Review of the past and recent literature regarding the use and role of NHT before radical prostatectomy was performed. In particular, special attention was paid to the seven prospective, randomized studies that have been reported in the literature. In addition, review of other pertinent and appropriate texts and journals regarding the impact of hormonal therapy on histopathological evaluation and outcomes was performed. RESULTS: Upon review of the prospective, randomized, clinical trials of NHT before radical prostatectomy, there remains no clear evidence that NHT improves disease-free survival for any stage of prostate cancer. Although positive surgical margins appear to be reduced for patients with clinical stage T2 disease only, significance and validity of such an end point remain uncertain. In addition, the use of NHT appears to come with a significant cost with regard to financial expense, patient morbidity, and possibly increased surgical difficulty. CONCLUSIONS: The routine use of NHT before radical prostatectomy is not justified, and only in controlled investigational trials should its use be considered.     

Long-term hazard of progression after radical prostatectomy for clinically localized prostate cancer: continued risk of biochemical failure after 5 years

PURPOSE: Cure from malignancy is commonly defined as a disease-free state lasting 5 years after treatment. We analyzed clinical and biochemical progression rates after radical prostatectomy for men with clinically localized prostate cancer with particular attention to recurrence beyond 5 years. Annual hazard rates of progression were calculated to determine the probability of recurrence at specific intervals following surgery. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The records of 2,782 men with clinically localized prostate cancer (cT1-T2) undergoing radical prostatectomy between 1987 and 1993 were reviewed. All patients were treated in the prostate specific antigen (PSA) era so that serial followup PSA values were available from the time of surgery. Analysis was limited to patients who did not receive adjuvant treatment within 90 days of radical prostatectomy. Disease progression was defined as documented local recurrence, systemic progression and/or PSA 0.4 ng./ml. or greater. Lymph node positive cases were eliminated from analysis since almost all received adjuvant hormonal therapy. Annual hazard rates for progression were calculated using the formula: [No. events / No. patients at risk] x 100. Progression-free survival probabilities were determined using the Kaplan-Meier method. RESULTS: Pathological stage was pT2a-b, N0 (68%), pT3a, N0 (21%) and pT3b, N0 (11%). Biochemical progression-free survival at 5 and 10 years was 76% and 59%, respectively, for the entire study population while those with pathologically organ confined (pT2, N0) cancers had progression-free survival rates of 82% and 68% at 5 and 10 years, respectively. A total of 819 patients (29%) eventually had disease progression, including 160 (6%) with progression after 5 years. Annual hazard rates were highest during the first 2 years after radical prostatectomy for the entire population. Patients with adverse prognostic features (pT3b, PSA 10 ng./ml. or greater, Gleason score 8-10 and nondiploid cancers) had high initial hazard rates that decreased with time to lower levels. Those with pathologically organ confined cancer had low but constant hazard rates throughout followup. CONCLUSIONS: Although progression after radical prostatectomy usually occurs early, reflecting the impact of clinical under staging, a significant number of men, including those with organ confined cancers, will continue to have disease progression after 5 years. Patients undergoing radical prostatectomy should be subjected to long-term followup to allow the option of early intervention should progression occur.