Elsevier

Urology

Volume 71, Issue 6, June 2008, Pages 1166-1171
Urology

Oncology
Preoperative Prediction of Unifocal, Unilateral, Margin-Negative, and Small Volume Prostate Cancer

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.urology.2007.10.013Get rights and content

Objectives

Contemporary prostate carcinoma is frequently of small volume and early stage. Subtotal gland ablation by minimally invasive therapies such as cryotherapy demands preoperative prediction of unifocal, unilateral, margin-negative, and small volume (less than 0.5 mL) cancer.

Methods

We examined matched biopsy and prostatectomy and clinical data from 393 patients at two institutions who underwent surgery in 2000 through 2003. Radical prostatectomy specimens were uniformly sectioned at 5-mm intervals and completely embedded. Numerous clinical and biopsy variables were correlated by regression analysis with unifocal, unilateral, margin-negative, and 0.5 mL or less volume cancer in the prostatectomy specimen. Odds ratios (OR) were determined.

Results

At prostatectomy, 92 (23%) had unifocal cancer, 90 (23%) had unilateral cancer, 348 (89%) had organ-confined cancer, and 106 (31%) had small volume cancer. Unilateral cancer occurred in 71% to 76% of cases of unilateral cancer in the biopsy (OR, 4.30; if 9 or more cores were sampled, OR rose to 6.83), and was predicted by unifocality in the biopsy (OR, 2.63). Unifocal cancer was predicted by unilateral (OR, 2.66) but not unifocal, cancer present in the biopsy. Negative surgical margins were predicted by unilateral (OR, 2.53; positive predictive value, 82%) cancer in the biopsy and by serum prostate specific antigen (OR, 5.33). Small volume cancer was predicted by unilateral (OR, 5.50) and unifocal (OR, 7.98) cancer in the biopsy; Gleason score greater than 7 predicted a non–small volume cancer (OR, 7.52).

Conclusions

Unilateral or unifocal cancer on biopsy are among the strongest predictors of unilateral, unifocal, and small volume prostate cancer in contemporary practice.

Section snippets

Patients

We performed a retrospective review of pathology specimens from patients with available biopsy materials who underwent radical retropubic prostatectomy for clinically localized prostate cancer between 2000 and 2003. Surgery was performed at two centers: University of Colorado Health Science Center, and Methodist Hospital, Houston. The study was approved by the institutional review boards of participating institutions. Review of patient charts disclosed patient age, serum PSA, and whether

Clinical and Pathologic Findings

Table 1 summarizes our analysis from 393 patients who underwent radical retropubic prostatectomy for clinically localized prostate cancer. Interinstitutional comparison of clinical, biopsy, and prostatectomy findings revealed significant differences in certain measures. The distribution of patients was 346 from Baylor and 47 from Colorado. (Numbers in the Colorado group were limited by the practice being 80% outside consultation cases, with biopsy slides and reports unavailable for these

Comment

Our study shows, for the first time, that tumor laterality and focality in extended or sextant prostatic needle biopsies strongly predict findings in contemporary prostatectomy specimens. Unilaterality of biopsy cancer was the most robust variable, predictive of four outcome findings: unilateral cancer, unifocal cancer, margin status, and small volume cancer. Unilaterality predicted all four findings more strongly than did Gleason score. Notably, sampling 9 or more cores heightened the odds

Conclusions

Unilateral cancer and unifocal cancer are two variables in prostate biopsies that strongly, independently predict unilateral, unifocal, margin-negative, and small volume cancer. These findings are prerequisites for focal cryosurgery, radiotherapy, and high-intensity focused ultrasound, and might allow unilateral lapraroscopic surgery. The predictive value of these variables is amplified by extended sampling.

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