Gleason Score Correlation Between Biopsy and Prostatectomy Specimens and Prediction of High-grade Gleason Patterns: Significance of Central Pathologic Review

Abstract

To investigate the significance of dedicated central pathologic review for Gleason score (GS) correlation between the biopsy and radical prostatectomy (RP) specimens and the prediction of high-grade Gleason patterns. A discrepancy in the GS between the biopsy and RP specimens has been reported. The Clinicopathological Research Group for Localized Prostate Cancer disease registry collated the data from 1629 patients who had undergone RP from 1997 to 2005. All biopsy and RP specimens were retrospectively re-evaluated by 2 central uropathologists according to the International Society of Urological Pathology consensus. The GS correlation between the biopsy and RP specimens and the presence of high-grade Gleason patterns (4 or 5) were recorded. The GS was categorized into 5 groups (2-4, 5-6, 3 + 4, 4 + 3, and 8-10). Central review significantly increased the exact concordance rate and decreased the undergrading and overgrading rates between the biopsy and RP specimens compared with local review (P < .05 for all). In each GS or prostate-specific antigen group, the central review biopsy GS had a significantly greater exact concordance rate with the RP specimen GS compared with the local review biopsy GS (P < .05 for all). Regarding high-grade Gleason patterns in the RP specimens, central review showed significantly greater sensitivity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value than local review (P < .05 for all). We have demonstrated that central review using the International Society of Urological Pathology consensus improves the GS correlation and better predicts high-grade Gleason patterns compared with local review. We recommend central pathologic review by dedicated uropathologists for multi-institutional studies using data from prostate biopsy and RP specimens.