The Long-Term Risk of Development of Prostate Cancer in Patients with Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia: Correlation with Stage A1 Disease

Abstract

Although historical data generally attest to a relatively benign course for stage A1 prostate cancer, at least some recent studies suggest that with prolonged followup patients have a significant risk of disease progression. This study was done with the hypothesis that such disease progression is a function of patient age and close, prolonged followup, and not the mere presence of stage A1 disease. A total of 304 patients who underwent transurethral resection of the prostate for histologically confirmed benign prostatic hyperplasia was reviewed, with a minimum followup of 8 years. Of 269 patients with full followup data 187 (70%) are alive without prostate cancer and 61 (23%) died without development of the disease. A total of 21 patients (7.8%) had clinically apparent prostate cancer at a mean of 7.0 years following transurethral resection, of whom 3 (14%) died of prostate cancer and 1 died of other causes. These data suggest that the risk of progression and death from prostate cancer may not be significantly greater in patients with stage A1 disease than in those reported to have benign disease at transurethral prostatectomy.