Predictors of seminal vesicle invasion before radical prostatectomy

AIM: To predict whether or not seminal vesicle invasion is present before radical prostatectomy, the relationships between clinical parameters and seminal vesicle invasion were analyzed. METHODS: A review was conducted of 187 patients who had been clinically diagnosed with stages A(2), B(0), B(1), B(2) or C prostate cancer and who had undergone radical prostatectomy without neoadjuvant therapy. The parameters analyzed for potential predictors of seminal vesicle invasion before radical prostatectomy included age, clinical stage, serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level at biopsy, tumor differentiation of biopsy specimens and percentage of cancer positive cores by biopsy. For percentage of cancer positive cores by biopsy, 143 of 187 patients who underwent transrectal sextant biopsy or more than six transrectal ultrasound guided core biopsies were evaluated. These parameters were subjected to univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses to identify predictors for seminal vesicle invasion. RESULTS: The median age was 66.8 years (range 51-77 years). Of 187 patients, 27 (14.4%) had seminal vesicle invasion confirmed pathologically. There were significant differences in all parameters except for age between patients with positive and negative seminal vesicle invasion on univariate analysis. Multivariate analysis revealed that serum PSA level, tumor differentiation of biopsy specimens and percentage of cancer positive cores were significant independent predictors of seminal vesicle invasion. CONCLUSIONS: The results showed serum PSA level, tumor differentiation of biopsy specimens and percentage of cancer positive cores by biopsy before radical prostatectomy may be useful predictors for seminal vesicle invasion.     

Variables which might predict the response to salvage radiotherapy in chinese patients with biochemical failure after radical prostatectomy

BACKGROUND/AIMS: To evaluate the relationship between the variables and the outcomes of salvage radiotherapy (sRT) to find some predictors of sRT. METHODS: The medical records of 56 patients receiving sRT for biochemical failure after radical prostatectomy (RP) were available for retrospective review. sRT was defined as external beam radiotherapy for patients with a continuous increase in the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level of >or=0.2 ng/ml after RP. Response was defined as achievement of a PSA nadir of 6 months were all responders. The response rate in patients with seminal vesicle invasion was 42.9% (6/14) versus 76.2% (32/42) in patients without seminal vesicle invasion (OR=0.119, p=0.015). CONCLUSION: PSADT and the state of seminal vesicle invasion were good predictors of response to sRT. sRT was especially effective when the PSADT was >6 months and in patients without seminal vesicle invasion.     

经尿道精囊镜诊治顽固性或复发性血精162例临床资料分析

目的:分析经尿道精囊镜诊治顽固性或复发性血精的可行性和有效性。方法:回顾分析2007年1月至2010年7月采用经尿道精囊镜诊治的顽固性或复发性血精患者162例,患者年龄19～76岁,血精病史3个月至11年,术前均因血精就诊,均行血清PSA、经直肠前列腺、精囊腔内B超以及盆腔CT或MRI检查,常规抗生素治疗4周效果欠佳或反复发作者,收治入院,行经尿道精囊镜检查。结果:全部病例术中均可见一侧或双侧精囊中暗红色或紫红色胶浆样物质和炎性改变,所有患者均取小块组织活检,病理结果回报为精囊黏膜慢性炎性改变,15例患者另可见射精管或精囊中结石;术后平均随访时间为21.7个月(12～29个月),92.6%(150/162)的患者在术后随访中经过1～15次射精后,血精消失或减轻。1例(67岁)患者因无射精活动而无法判断,7例患者术后血精消失超过3个月后复发,4例患者术后血精症状无减轻。1例患者术后发生急性双侧附睾炎,所有病例术后未见逆行射精、尿失禁或直肠损伤等并发症。结论:经尿道精囊镜技术是可行的诊断和治疗顽固性或复发性血精的新方法。     

Seminal vesicle-sparing radical prostatectomy: a novel concept to restore early urinary continence

OBJECTIVES: Urinary incontinence after radical prostatectomy continues to be a distressing problem, even with preservation of the neurovascular bundles and meticulous apical dissection. Recent studies suggest that motor and sensory components of the pelvic nerve may be affected by surgery, since both components are anatomically located in intimate contact with the seminal vesicles. We propose seminal vesicle-sparing radical prostatectomy to preserve pelvic innervation and improve the rate of urinary continence. METHODS: Fifty-four patients were enrolled in this prospective study. A standard retropubic radical prostatectomy was performed in 34 patients. A seminal vesicle-sparing radical prostatectomy was performed in a pilot series of 20 consecutive patients. The seminal vesicle tip and surrounding tissue were preserved and carefully handled. In all patients, a modified pad test and posterior urethral sensory threshold test were performed preoperatively and 6 weeks and 6 months postoperatively and correlated with urinary continence. RESULTS: The intraoperative preservation of the seminal vesicle tip was possible in all patients in this pilot series (n = 20). In the seminal vesicle-sparing radical prostatectomy group, the continence rate was 60% after 6 weeks and 95% after 6 months. These rates were significantly higher than the continence rates in the standard prostatectomy group (18% and 82% at 6 weeks and 6 months, respectively). The sensory threshold levels in the seminal vesicle-sparing group were similar to the preoperative values and were significantly lower than the postoperative threshold levels in the standard prostatectomy group. CONCLUSIONS: Seminal vesicle tip-sparing radical prostatectomy may be a surgical option to preserve pelvic innervation and maintain urinary continence after radical prostatectomy. Further randomized studies are necessary to elucidate the impact of seminal vesicle-sparing radical prostatectomy on restoration of urinary continence.     

Is preoperative serum prostate‐specific antigen level significantly related to clinical recurrence after radical retropubic prostatectomy for localized prostate cancer?

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the influence of preoperative serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level and other clinicopathological variables on the probability of biochemical failure and clinical recurrence after radical prostatectomy (RP) for localized prostate cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The study was a retrospective survival analysis in 211 patients undergoing retropubic RP for clinically localized prostate cancer in the period 1988-2000. Survival was estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method; survival endpoints were biochemical failure, defined as a PSA level of > or = 0.5 ng/mL or clinical recurrence consisting of palpable tumours in the prostatic fossa or distant metastases. In 58 patients with biochemical failure after surgery, we assessed the impact of the doubling time of serum PSA level (PSADT) on the risk of developing skeletal metastases or local recurrence. RESULTS: The median (range) observation period was 66 (9-160) months. Biochemical failure occurred in 92 patients (44%) of whom 39 (42%) had local recurrence or skeletal metastases. There was a highly significant association (P < 0.001) between clinical T stage, histological grade, capsular penetration, surgical margin status, seminal vesicle invasion, preoperative serum PSA level and the probability of biochemical failure-free survival. By contrast there was no statistically significant association between preoperative serum PSA level, clinical T stage, surgical margin status, and clinical recurrence. There was a significant relationship between age (P = 0.021), histological grade (P = 0.025), capsular penetration (P = 0.018), seminal vesicle invasion (P = 0014), and clinical recurrence. Cox regression analysis showed that only histological grade and seminal vesicle invasion were independent predictors of clinical recurrence. In a subgroup of 58 patients with a rising serum PSA level after RP, a PSADT of < or = 12.8 months conferred a significantly higher risk (P = 0.015) of developing skeletal metastases than a PSADT of >12.8 months. CONCLUSION: In the present patients undergoing RP the preoperative serum PSA level was not associated with the clinical outcome, whereas it was significantly related to biochemical failure rate. The probability of skeletal metastases was significantly associated with the PSADT after biochemical failure.     

Prostatic involvement in men with febrile urinary tract infection as measured by serum prostate-specific antigen and transrectal ultrasonography.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the frequency of prostatic involvement in men with community-acquired febrile urinary tract infection. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This prospective study included 70 men (18-85 years old) who had a fever of >/=38.0 degrees C, symptoms or signs of urinary tract infection and a positive urine culture. Serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) was measured and transrectal ultrasonography of the prostate and seminal vesicles performed during the acute phase of the disease and during a 1-year follow-up. RESULTS: Although only six patients had a tender prostate on digital rectal examination, the initial serum PSA level was elevated in 58 (83%) patients (median 14 ng/mL, range 0.54-140). There was no correlation between PSA levels, patient age, inflammatory response to infection or presence of positive blood cultures. Despite a rapid decline in PSA level after one month, there was a protracted decrease in some patients. After 3 months the median prostate volume was reduced by 31% (range 11-54; P<0.001) in 46 of 55 patients examined, and the width of the right and left seminal vesicle was reduced by 14% and 22%, respectively. The reductions in PSA and prostate volume were significantly correlated (r=0.36, 95% confidence interval 0.09-0.58; P=0.01). CONCLUSION: These results show that the prostate and seminal vesicles are frequently involved in men with febrile urinary tract infection and that PSA may be a useful marker of prostatic infection. The slow decline of PSA levels in some patients after appropriate antibiotic treatment indicates a protracted healing process and should be considered when PSA is used to detect prostate cancer.     

Significance of Prostate-Specific Antigen after Radical Prostatectomy

Background :
Serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is expected to be undetectable after radical prostatectomy unless there is residual disease or disease progression. The aim of this study was to confirm the usefulness of serum PSA measurements in monitoring patients after radical prostatectomy.
Methods :
We conducted a study of 50 patients who underwent radical prostatectomy for clinical stage T1 -2 or small T3 prostate cancer, analyzed serum PSA levels before and after surgery and compared the pathological findings and clinical outcome.
Results :
Postoperative PSA elevation (PSA failure) was noted in 13% of patients with organ-confined disease (OCD), 43% with positive surgical margins and/or seminal vesicle involvement (PSM/SVI), and 60% with positive lymph nodes (N+). Postoperative clinical failure was noted in 8 patients, and all were preceded by PSA failures. The 3-year PSA failure-free rates were 86.5%, 32.1 %, and 40.7% and the 3-year clinical failure-free rates were 100%, 67.5%, and 73.5% in patients with OCD, PSM/SVI and N+, respectively.
Conclusion :
An elevation of serum PSA levels after radical prostatectomy was a sensitive indicator of persistent disease after surgery, and preceded clinical manifestations of disease progression.     

The detection of prostate specific antigen, MHS-5, and other markers in invasive prostate cancer and seminal vesicle.

Prostate specific antigen (PSA) is the most useful serum marker for following the disease status of prostate cancer patients after therapy. While PSA is felt to be an organ specific marker, lack of PSA expression in the seminal vesicles has not been adequately established. MHS-5 is a monoclonal antibody which recognizes an epitope on seminal vesicle specific antigen. Our objectives were to define PSA expression by the seminal vesicles, to determine whether MHS-5 could serve as an adjunct in the diagnosis of seminal vesicles invasion by carcinoma of the prostate, and to determine whether carcinoma, having invaded seminal vesicles would retain its expression of PSA and other prostate markers. Using an immunoperoxidase procedure, we studied thirteen seminal vesicles without histologic evidence of prostate cancer invasion and five seminal vesicles with locally invasive cancer. No seminal vesicles expressed PSA, whereas prostate cancer invading the seminal vesicles expressed PSA in all cases. MHS-5 expression was more variable. Only two of five cases of locally invasive tumor demonstrated seminal vesicles expression for MHS-5. Our findings further support the specificity of PSA. While MHS-5 may be helpful in delineating seminal vesicles in some instances, it is not a consistently reliable marker.     

Ultrasound-guided seminal vesicle biopsies in prostate cancer

Invasion of prostatic adenocarcinoma into the seminal vesicles (SV) is generally accepted as an index of poor prognosis. The pre-operative identification of SV invasion is an important element in staging since it may alter subsequent treatment decisions. We studied the possibility of diagnosing SV invasion with two biopsies from the junction between the prostate and seminal vesicles. Also we studied the correlation of several prognostic factors with the risk of clinical stage T(1,2,3) prostate cancer patients of having cancer growth into the seminal vesicles. Consecutive patients referred for transrectal ultrasound (TRUS) and biopsy because of clinical suspicion of prostate cancer were examined. This staging procedure was evaluated in patients who underwent a pelvic lymphadenectomy and radical retropubic prostatectomy (RRP). In 83 out of 138 patients prostate cancer was detected whereas 55 patients had benign disease. In 44% of prostate cancer patients a positive SV biopsy was found. The accuracy of the biopsies adjacent to the junction of the SV and the prostate was 91%. The best predictors for SV invasion were tumor grade of the biopsy sample (P<0.001), serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) (P<0.0005), PSA density (P<0.0005) and clinical stage (P<0.0005). No significance was found in the relation to seminal vesicle involvement with free/total (f/t) PSA ratio (P=0.588) for the prostate cancer group (SV+ and SV-). In a receiver operating characteristic curves analysis, PSA density was significantly more accurate for prediction of SV invasion than PSA or f/t PSA ratio. In five prostatectomized patients (and negative SV biopsy) no SV invasion was found in the final pathologic examination either. SV biopsy at the junction of the SV and prostate is accurate for staging with high efficacy and low morbidity. To predict SV invasion in prostate cancer patients, PSA density was more accurate than PSA or f/t PSA ratio. The determination of the f/t PSA ratio in patients with low and intermediate PSA levels (eg <15 &mgr;g/L) is not useful to estimation of the risk of seminal vesicle involvement. The combination of serum PSA concentration, PSA density, tumor grade from the biopsy specimens ad clinical stage provides the best prediction of SV invasion. These parameters are identical to the conventional predictors of pathology after RRP. SV biopsies may provide additional information; if one or both basal biopsies are positive, a clinical T(1,2) disease is altered to T(3). Hence SV biopsy is useful for selection of patients who might obtain good results from RRP for prostate cancer. Prostate Cancer and Prostatic Diseases (2000) 3, 100-106     

Invasion of bladder neck after radical prostatectomy: one definition for different outcomes

The aim of the study was to evaluate factors of progression after radical prostatectomy in patients with bladder neck invasion (BNI). From 1988 to 2006, 1395 patients underwent radical prostatectomy, 120 (8.6%) had microscopic BNI (pT4 N0, TNM 2002). Group 1 was defined as BNI alone, group 2 as BNI plus extracapsular extension and group 3 as BNI plus seminal vesicle invasion (SVI). Postoperative follow-up data were obtained through routine serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and digital rectal examination. Biochemical progression was defined as a single detectable PSA level postoperatively (>0.2 ng ml(-1)). Groups 1, 2 and 3 included 38 (31%), 35 (30%) and 47 (39%) patients, respectively. Preoperative PSA (11.1 vs 24.7 and 23.3 ng ml(-1), P=0.01), biopsy Gleason score (5 vs 6 and 6, P=0.003) and specimen Gleason score (6 vs 7 and 7, P=0.02) were statistically different between three groups. None of the patients had a specimen Gleason score >or=8 in group 1. After a mean follow-up of 27 months, 51 (42.5%) patients had biochemical progression. The 5-year progression-free survival was 87, 53 and 17% for groups 1, 2 and 3, respectively (P<0.001). Within pT4 prostate cancer, those tumors with isolated microscopic BNI appear to have better prognosis than those with associated extracapsular extension and/or seminal vesicle invasion, and should be distinguished in TNM classification.     

Biochemical and pathological predictors of the recurrence of prostatic adenocarcinoma with seminal vesicle invasion

PURPOSE: We assessed biochemical and pathological factors as predictors of recurrence in men with seminal vesicle invasion. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A consecutive series of 812 men who underwent radical retropubic prostatectomy between 1992 and 2000 included 106 (13%) with seminal vesicle invasion. Disease recurrence was defined as prostate specific antigen (PSA) 0.4 ng./ml. or greater. Patients with less than 12 months of followup, salvage radical retropubic prostatectomy, lymph node metastases and adjuvant therapy were excluded from study. Data on the remaining 66 cases were analyzed using the chi-square test, bivariate logistic regression, Kaplan-Meier analyses and Cox proportional regression. Variables included demographics, recurrence, time from surgery to recurrence, positive margins, capsular invasion, extracapsular extension, Gleason score (2 to 6, 7 and 8 to 10), and dichotomized values of preoperative PSA (10 or less versus 10 ng./ml.) and tumor volume (20% or less versus greater than 20%). RESULTS: Mean patient age was 62 years (range 48 to 74). At an average followup of 47.7 months (range 13 to 109) 53% of the patients were free of biochemical recurrence. Mean time to recurrence was 18.6 months (range 1.7 to 51.6). Univariate analyses revealed a statistical significant increased risk of recurrence in patients with PSA greater than 10 ng./ml. (p <0.0001), capsular invasion (p = 0.01) and age (p = 0.036). When adjusting for potential covariates, Cox proportional regression analysis indicated that higher PSA (hazard ratio 7.33, 95% CI 2.57 to 20.95), larger tumor volume (hazard ratio 5.64, 95% CI 1.97 to 16.19) and higher age (hazard ratio 1.13, 95% CI 1.04 to 1.22) were significantly associated with shorter time to recurrence. CONCLUSIONS: PSA greater than 10 ng./ml., tumor volume greater than 20% and age are significant predictors of recurrence after radical retropubic prostatectomy in patients with prostate cancer and seminal vesicle invasion. Hopefully future randomized trials may show a survival benefit of adjuvant therapy in patients at high risk.     

Adjuvant radiation therapy for recurrent PSA after radical prostatectomy in T1-T2 prostate cancer

To evaluate retrospectively the efficacy of adjuvant radiation therapy (ART) in patients with T1-T2 prostate cancer (CaP) in whom extracapsular cancer (pT3) was detected after radical prostatectomy (RP), together with biochemical failure characterized by a recurrent level of serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA)>0.1 ng/mL. Twenty-two patients with T1-T2 CaP treated by RP who subsequently were found to have pT3 CaP with (13) or without (9) positive surgical margins and/or seminal vesicle invasion, exhibited biochemical failure characterized by a recurrent level of serum PSA, 2-40 (mean: 25) months after RP and were treated with ART (65 Gy). Bone and CT scans were negative in every patient, 15 of whom were submitted to TRUS biopsy (Bx) of the anastomosis (resection site), which was positive in 8. Patients were followed up for between 6 and 60 (mean: 32.5) months. Transient side effects (urgency, proctitis, diarrhea) were experienced by 9 patients after ART. A decrease in serum PSA was observed in 19 patients; however, only 14 of these achieved an undetectable level (<0.1 ng/mL) on one or more occasions after completion of ART (in 12 cases this was after 3 months). Of the 14 patients, 8 achieved a persistently unmeasurable PSA level at a mean follow-up of 20.4 (range: 9-48) months. There was no difference between patients in whom an undetectable level of serum PSA was attained and those in whom it was not, with regard to specimen pathology, PSA doubling time, timing of ART, and the result of Bx. Patients who achieved an undetectable PSA had a lower mean PSA at the time of ART (1.1 vs 2.9 ng/mL, P<0.05) and a lower preoperative mean PSA. Although ART for biochemical failure after RP may lead to undetectable PSA levels in a significant proportion of patients for a significant period of time, a longer follow-up shows that such unmeasurable levels persist in only 36.4% of such patients.     

Prostate specific antigen in the preoperative and postoperative evaluation of localized prostatic cancer treated with radical prostatectomy

The usefulness of prostate specific antigen to predict final pathological stage was studied in 178 consecutive patients. Prostate specific antigen was determined preoperatively in all patients by a monoclonal immunoradiometric assay. All pathological specimens were examined for capsular penetration, seminal vesicle involvement and lymph node involvement. Prostate specific antigen correlated directly with capsular penetration (p less than 0.002), seminal vesicle involvement (p less than 0.02) and lymph node involvement (p less than 0.05). However the diagnostic accuracy of an elevated serum antigen level on an individual basis was only 55 per cent for capsular penetration and 50 per cent for seminal vesicle involvement and lymph node involvement. With a log-linear regression model, the half-life of prostate specific antigen was calculated to be 3.15 +/- 0.09 days. From the equation PSA (t) equals PSA (2) e[-0.2197(t-2)], prostate specific antigen can be used to detect residual cancer on day t in the immediate postoperative period. With respect to long-term followup, 127 patients have been monitored for longer than 2 months postoperatively with prostate specific antigen (mean followup 2 years, range 2 months to 8.6 years). Of the 101 patients who had favorable pathological findings at operation (organ-confined cancer or capsular penetration only) 92 (91 per cent) had a followup antigen concentration in the female range (0.0 to 0.2 ng. per ml.), whereas only 5 of 26 men (19 per cent) with either seminal vesicle involvement or lymph node involvement had an antigen value that was less than 0.2 ng. per ml. All patients with a documented clinical recurrence (8 of 127, 6 per cent) had an elevated followup serum prostate specific antigen concentration. These findings suggest that preoperative levels of prostate specific antigen are not sufficiently reliable to predict final pathological stage on an individual basis in patients with early prostatic cancer, and that the antigen is a sensitive tumor marker for the detection of residual disease after radical prostatectomy and subsequent recurrence of tumor on long-term followup.     

The use of cell salvage during radical retropubic prostatectomy: does it influence cancer recurrence?

OBJECTIVE: To assess whether there is a difference in the biochemical recurrence rate in patients who had radical retropubic prostatectomy (RRP) with or without cell salvage transfusion. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The records of 769 consecutive patients undergoing RRP between 1992 and 1998 were retrospectively reviewed. Patients having adjuvant hormonal treatment, postoperative external beam radiotherapy, or a follow-up of < 1 year were excluded from the analysis. The remaining 408 patients were categorized into three groups: 87 who received cell-salvaged blood using a commercial cell saver; 264 receiving only autologous transfusion; and 57 with no transfusion. Disease recurrence was defined as a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level of> 0.2 ng/mL. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to assess and compare the risk of cancer recurrence in the three groups. Covariates used in the multivariate analyses included Gleason score, preoperative PSA level, seminal vesicle involvement and surgical margins. RESULTS: The mean (range) follow-up was 40.2 (12-104) months; there were no significant differences among the groups in initial PSA level and Gleason score. In the multivariate logistic regression analysis, the initial PSA, Gleason score, seminal vesicle involvement and surgical margins, but not transfusion group, were independent predictors of recurrence. CONCLUSION: Cell salvage during RRP does not influence the recurrence of prostate cancer. Cell salvage is a safe method of transfusion during RRP.     

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.     

Prostate specific antigen recurrence rates are low after radical retropubic prostatectomy and positive margins

PURPOSE: Treatment in patients with a positive surgical margin after radical retropubic prostatectomy is controversial. Options are observation, radiation therapy and early hormone therapy. Making the appropriate choice should be based on an understanding of the risk of recurrence without treatment. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We reviewed the records of 1,383 patients after radical retropubic prostatectomy was performed by a single surgeon. All specimens were analyzed by a single pathologist. Of the patients 936 met criteria for analysis. RESULTS: Mean followup in these 936 patients was 45.8 months (minimum 12). The overall PSA biochemical recurrence rate was 11.5% (108 of 936 cases). Of the 936 patients 350 (37%) had tumor at an inked margin. These patients had a recurrence rate of 19% (67 of 350), while patients with negative margins had a recurrence rate of 7% (41 of 586). This difference was statistically significant (p <0.01). Multivariate HR analysis revealed that significant risk factors for recurrence in the 936 patients were PSA greater than 20 ng/ml, clinical stage T2 or greater, Gleason 7 or greater, seminal vesicle involvement, extraprostatic extension, a visual estimate of prostate cancer volume of greater than 9.1% and positive surgical margins. Statistically significant risk factors for recurrence in patients with a positive margin on multivariate HR analysis were PSA greater than 20 ng/ml, Gleason score 7 or greater and seminal vesicle involvement. CONCLUSIONS: Although the positive margin rate in this series was 37%, the recurrence rate in these patients was only 19%. It is important to consider other factors, such as PSA, Gleason score, seminal vesicle involvement and extraprostatic extension, when making treatment decisions.     

Serum prostate-specific antigen after post-prostatectomy radiotherapy.

External beam radiotherapy was administered to 39 patients after radical prostatectomy for adenocarcinoma. Thirty-seven of 39 patients had detectable levels of serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) prior to irradiation as evidence of residual carcinoma (biochemical evidence of disease). Two patients also had palpable recurrences. Pathologic analysis of the surgical specimens suggested that positive surgical margins, seminal vesicle or lymph node involvement, or high Gleason pattern scores are associated with measurable PSA after surgery. Follow-up ranged from two to seventy-four months (mean 26.8 months). To date, local control has been achieved in all but 1 patient (including 2 patients with palpable tumor prior to radiotherapy). Two distinct risk groups for the development of distant metastases based on the trend of the PSA in relation to the duration of follow-up after radiotherapy are defined. In the high-risk group (those patients with a rising PSA), in 9 of the 18 bone metastases have developed, while none of the 17 low-risk patients have metastatic disease.     

Adjuvant radiation therapy in patients with detectable prostate specific antigen following radical prostatectomy.

Adjuvant radiation therapy following radical prostatectomy for adenocarcinoma of the prostate was given to 25 patients. Of these patients 8 had microscopic lymph node metastasis, 8 had seminal vesicle invasion without positive lymph nodes, 6 had positive surgical margins and 3 had only capsule penetration. Their only evidence of residual disease was detectable serum prostate specific antigen (PSA) by the Yang assay. A total of 15 patients (60%) had a subsequent decrease in PSA to less than 0.3 ng./ml. and an additional 5 (20%) had a decrease in PSA by more than 50%. Currently 8 patients have no detectable PSA after a median followup of 18 months (17 to 38 months) since initiating radiation therapy. Only 1 of 12 patients with detectable PSA immediately after radical prostatectomy has had a durable response to adjuvant radiation therapy. In contrast 7 of 13 patients with a delayed increase in PSA had a durable response. The ability of adjuvant radiation therapy to eliminate serum PSA in patients with a delayed increase in PSA after radical prostatectomy is encouraging. However, longer followup, including the use of nonradiated control subjects, is needed to assess the ability of adjuvant radiation therapy to control local disease and prolong patient survival.     

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.