Stage D2 Disease Research Articles

A Better Prognosis for Obese Men with Prostate Cancer

Purpose The possibility was investigated whether obesity is associated with a favorable prognosis in men with nonstage A prostatic cancer independent of other risk factors. Materials and Methods A total of 235 men with nonstage A prostatic cancer diagnosed between 1983 and 1990 at a community hospital was evaluated by tumor grade and stage, degree of obesity, smoking habits, age, year of diagnosis and survival. Results In comparison to tumors of less obese men those in men who were at least 10 percent overweight were more often stage B or C than D (odds ratio 2.3, 95 percent confidence interval 1.4 to 4.9). Smoking abstinence, patient age older than 70 years and low Gleason scores were also independently associated with less advanced tumors. The lower frequency of advanced stage tumors among those of obese men was most prominent for stage D2 disease in nonsmokers, progressively decreasing from 24 percent of 29 nonsmokers who had been underweight for many years before diagnosis to 8 percent of 24 who had been greatly overweight for many years (p less than 0.05). Tumor specific mortality was also lower in obese men and nonsmokers independent of tumor stage and grade with 5-year tumor specific mortality rates of 10 percent in obese nonsmokers, 27 percent in nonobese nonsmokers, 36 percent in obese smokers and 43 percent in nonobese smokers. These differences reflected a combination of obesity related differences in stage distribution and a more favorable prognosis for obese men among patients with tumors of similar stages. Conclusions These observations suggest inhibition of prostate cancer growth and metastasis by increased endogenous estrogen, decreased endogenous testosterone or other systemic changes characteristic of obesity.

Radiotherapy for regionally localized hormone refractory prostate cancer

Patients with regionally localized hormone refractory adenocarcinoma of the prostate are often referred for radiotherapy to relieve local symptoms, prevent further local progression, or prevent impending urinary tract obstruction. However, the merits of radiotherapy for this patient population have not been documented. In this retrospective series, the results of 29 such patients treated at our institution between 1987-1992 are reviewed. Prior to androgen ablation, the majority of these patients (79%) had Stage D0 or D1 disease. After androgen ablation, radiotherapy was given to 16 (55%) for progressive symptoms (mostly urinary obstructive), 11 (38%) for palpable local progression in the absence of symptoms, and 2 for a rising prostate specific antigen (PSA) profile without palpable disease. None of the patients had distant metastasis at the time of radiotherapy. The median dose to the prostate was 66 Gy and the median follow-up after radiotherapy was 43 months. Following local-regional radiotherapy, the actuarial rate of local failure at 4 years was only 39%. However, 80% had disease progression or a rising PSA in this time period. The actuarial survival at 4 years following radiotherapy was 39%. Univariate analyses of potential prognostic factors revealed that preandrogen ablation Gleason score, preradiotherapy PSA, and preradiotherapy prostatic acid phosphatase (PAP) were predictive of patient outcome. Most importantly, doses above 60 Gy to the prostate at standard fractionation were associated with symptom-free local control in 90% of patients at 3 years. The majority of the patients were treated using limited fields (n = 20). The regionally localized hormone refractory prostate cancer patients described benefited from high dose, continuous course, local radiotherapy in that excellent local control rates were obtained for an extended period. Because the majority of these patients fail with distant metastasis within 4 years, this treatment represents an aggressive approach to palliation that is justified by the maintenance of freedom from local symptoms.

A Worse Prognosis for Smokers with Prostate Cancer

To identify phenomena that might explain a higher mortality-to-incidence ratio for prostate cancer among smokers, 359 patients with newly diagnosed tumors at a community hospital were analyzed by tumor stage and grade, host age, obesity, smoking habits and survival. Among the 235 men with nonstage A tumors, stage D disease was independently related to host smoking (odds ratio 2.1, 95 percent confidence interval 1.3 to 4.3, p = 0.015), as well as to higher tumor grade, younger host age and lack of obesity. Stage D disease was present in 69 percent of 16 heavy smokers, 41 percent of 44 other smokers and 31 percent of nonsmokers. The 5-year tumor-specific mortality rate was greater among smokers than nonsmokers with stage D2 disease (88 percent versus 63 percent, p less than 0.05) or with nonstage A disease (39 percent versus 17 percent, p less than 0.001). These observations are compatible with earlier metastasis and more aggressive subsequent tumor advancement in smokers, and indicate that smoking habits may contribute to differences in prostate cancer prognosis between populations.

Intermittent androgen suppression in the treatment of prostate cancer: A preliminary report

Objectives To test the feasibility of using intermittent androgen suppression in the treatment of prostate cancer by taking advantage of the reversible action of medical castration. Methods Observations were made on a group of 47 patients (clinical Stage D2, 14; D1, 10; C, 19; B2, 2; and A2, 2) with a mean follow-up time of 125 weeks. Treatment was initiated with combined androgen blockade and continued for at least 6 months until a serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) nadir was observed. Medication was then withheld until the serum PSA increased to a mean value between 10 and 20 ng/mL. This cycle of treatment and no treatment was repeated until the regulation of serum PSA became androgen independent. Results The first two treatment cycles lasted 73 and 75 weeks, with a mean time off therapy of 30 and 33 weeks and an overall mean percentage time off therapy of 41% and 45%, respectively. The mean time to achieve a nadir level of serum PSA was 20 weeks in cycle 1 and 18 weeks in cycle 2. Serum testosterone returned to the normal range within 8 weeks (range, 1 to 26) of stopping treatment. The off-treatment period in both cycles was associated with an improvement in sense of well-being and the recovery of libido and potency in the men who reported normal or near-normal sexual function before the start of therapy. In 7 patients with Stage D2 disease, the cancer progressed to an androgen-independent state. The mean and median times to progression were 128 weeks and 108 weeks, respectively. Seven patients have died, 1 from a noncancer-related illness, with mean and median overall survival times of 210 weeks and 166 weeks, respectively. Conclusions Prostate cancer is amenable to control by intermittent androgen suppression. This approach-affords an improved quality of life when the patient is off therapy. It also results in reduced toxicity and cost of treatment and possibly delays tumor progression. Whether survival is affected in a beneficial or adverse way remains to be studied in a randomized, prospective study.

Prognostic Factors in Men with Stage D1 Prostate Cancer: Identification of Patients Less Likely to Have Prolonged Survival After Radical Prostatectomy

The role of radical prostatectomy in the management of stage D1 disease is controversial. Although cure is unlikely, some men survive for long intervals apparently free of metastatic disease. For this reason, effective palliation of the local lesion is desirable in men who will live long enough to benefit. In an effort to identify factors that correlated with interval to progression to distant metastases, we studied 113 men with stage D1 disease who underwent radical prostatectomy between 1974 and 1991. Progression of disease to distant metastases did not independently correlate with the size of the nodal metastases, number of positive lymph nodes or bilaterality of lymph node metastases. Only high Gleason score (8 to 10) on the preoperative biopsy correlated with rapid progression to distant metastases (p ≦ 0.00001) in a multivariate analysis. If the Gleason score was less than 8, the likelihood of distant metastases was only 18% and 41% at 5 and 10 years, respectively, whereas 85% of men with a Gleason score of 8 to 10 had distant metastases by 5 years. For urologists who believe that radical prostatectomy is useful in providing local control in men with positive lymph nodes, frozen section analysis of lymph nodes is probably not necessary in men who are candidates for radical prostatectomy and have preoperative Gleason scores of less than 8. Conversely, in patients with a Gleason score of 8 to 10 on needle biopsy, careful analysis of lymph nodes is necessary to avoid radical prostatectomy in those who will derive little benefit.

Detection of occult micrometastases in the bone marrow of patients with prostate carcinoma.

A panel of three monoclonal antibodies that recognize membrane and cytoskeletal antigens expressed by epithelial cells (T16, C26, and AE-1) was used in a sensitive immunohistochemical assay to detect tumor cells in bone marrow aspirates from 20 patients with prostate cancer. Bone marrow aspirates from 2/9 (22%) patients with localized prostate cancer (stage B, 0/5; Stage C, 2/4), and 4/11 (36%) patients with metastatic prostate cancer (Stage D1, 0/7 patients; Stage D2, 4/4 patients) had antigen-positive cells in their bone marrow. The patients with localized disease had conventional examinations for metastases, including radioisotope bone scans and examination of bone marrow cytology, which were negative. The serum prostatic specific antigen (PSA) level appeared to correlate with the presence of micrometastases. Those patients with localized disease and antigen-positive cells in the bone marrow had an average serum PSA level of 26.6 ng/ml, while the average serum PSA level in patients without antigen-positive cells was 12.3 ng/ml. In addition, the number of antigen-positive cells detected appeared to correlate with the stage of disease; patients with Stage C prostate cancer had an average of 10 antigen-positive cells per one million bone marrow elements, while patients with Stage D2 disease had an average of 25 antigen-positive cells per one million bone marrow elements. We have demonstrated that immunohistochemical staining of bone marrow aspirates can detect occult bone marrow metastases in patients with apparently localized prostate cancer. Further follow-up of these and a larger number of patients will be require to determine the potential clinical significance of this finding.

Spermatic cord metastasis from transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder

A case of transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder metastasizing to the spermatic cord is reported. This represents the only clinically recognized site of tumor recurrence in a man treated with radical cystoprostatectomy followed by four cycles of adjuvante cis-platinum/methotrexate/vinblastine (CMV) chemoterapy for Stage D1 disease (local pelvic lymph node involvement). The existing literature concerning metastatic tumors of the spermatic cord is reviewed.

PROSTATIC ACID PHOSPHATASE IN 1993: Its Limited Clinical Utility

The principal role of PAP determinations in 1993 with the ready availability of reproducible serum PSA determinations would be in the identification of those patients with clinically localized prostate cancer who will not be candidates for surgical cure because of the high likelihood of having pathologic stage C or D disease. However, if you believe that radical prostatectomy offers good local control and palliation for clinically localized but pathologic stage C or D disease, then preoperative PAP determinations are not necessary. Also, if you believe that radical prostatectomy in conjugation with androgen deprivation therapy is appropriate for clinically localized but pathologic stage D1 disease, then, again, preoperative PAP determinations are not necessary. However, if you believe that radical prostatectomy is indicated only for those patients with organ-confined cancer, then ordering a preoperative staging Roy enzymatic PAP assay is indicated. Therefore, every urologist must know the type of assay and the substrate being used by his/her laboratory to interpret the PAP results properly; otherwise, patients with potentially curable cancer will not be offered a radical prostatectomy. In conclusion, PSA is superior to PAP for diagnosis, screening, and monitoring prostate cancer. Even though there are three assays for PSA, there is less confusion in interpreting the results than for PAP. The only specific area where the enzymatic PAP assay can be useful is in the identification of those patients with clinically localized disease but pathologically extensive disease; this is not important if you believe that radical prostatectomy offers good local control and palliation for pathologic stage C and D1 disease.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone agonists in prostate cancer. Elimination of flare reaction by pretreatment with cyproterone acetate and low-dose diethylstilbestrol

In response to the first administration of a luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH) agonist, the secretion of pituitary gonadotropin increases sharply and gives rise to a transient surge in the concentration of serum testosterone. This effect reaches a peak 4 to 7 days after the start of therapy and results in the onset of clinical symptoms and signs of tumor flare in 5% to 10% of patients. To determine whether the effects of the LHRH-induced flare reaction are preventable, cyproterone acetate (100 mg) and low-dose diethylstilbestrol (0.1 mg) were administered daily for 4 weeks to inhibit the pituitary before the initiation of therapy with a depot LHRH agonist, goserelin acetate (3.6 mg every 4 weeks). Diethylstilbestrol was stopped after 8 weeks to eliminate associated minor toxicity while administration of cyproterone acetate was continued to suppress vasomotor symptoms. Twenty-four men with histologically confirmed prostate cancer were enrolled in the study: 6 with Stage C, 2 with Stage D1, and 16 with Stage D2 disease. Lead-in therapy reduced the concentration of serum testosterone into the castrate range within 1 week, and no significant change was observed in the mean level after administration of goserelin acetate. Neither was there an effect on the initial rate of normalization of serum prostate specific antigen (PSA); normal PSA values were obtained in 50% of patients after 10 weeks and in 70% after 32 weeks. In the subgroup of patients with Stage D2 disease, longer median survival was predicted by a normal serum PSA, either stable or decreasing, after 32 weeks of treatment. The regimen was well tolerated with a low incidence of hot flushes. These results imply that in the absence of LHRH-induced tumor flare, prognosis is related to the ability of therapy to maintain a PSA nadir in the normal range.

Stage D1 prostate cancer treated by radical prostatectomy and adjuvant hormonal treatment. Evidence for favorable survival in patients with DNA diploid tumors.

Stage D1 disease is found in at least every sixth patient undergoing bilateral pelvic lymphadenectomy and radical retropubic prostatectomy (RRP) for clinically localized prostate cancer (PC). Previous recommendations for monotherapy using surgery, radiation, or systemic therapy alone for Stage D1 disease have usually been associated with a poor outcome in regard to progression and survival. Unlike other pathologic stages, D1 disease treated with RRP is mainly related to DNA ploidy pattern in regard to all end points (progression and survival) and immediate adjuvant hormonal treatment (AHT) rather than to the usual pathologic variables, including the number of positive nodes. Complete DNA ploidy information was available in 370 patients with Stage D1 disease (age range, 40-77 years; mean, 64 years) undergoing RRP with or without AHT with a follow-up of up to 22 years (mean, 5 years). Overall, 80% of all DNA ploidy classes (diploid, 37%; tetraploid, 46%; and aneuploid, 17%) had AHT that highly significantly delayed progression for diploid (P less than 0.0001) more than tetraploid (P less than 0.0001) and more than aneuploid (P less than 0.0001) tumors. Significant prolongation of the disease-free interval might have improved the quality of life for tetraploid and aneuploid patients. Survival (crude and cause-specific) was significantly (P = 0.02) improved only for diploid patients who received AHT but not for tetraploid and aneuploid patients. This was due to the significantly accelerated death rate after progression in those patients with early AHT for tetraploid and aneuploid (but not diploid) tumors. Delayed (on progression only) AHT resulted in high progression rates for all DNA ploidy classes (aneuploid greater than tetraploid greater than diploid); e.g., 21 of 30 diploid patients progressed and 6 patients died from disease at a median of 31.5 months in spite of immediate hormone treatment on progression. RRP and AHT for patients with Stage D1 disease resulted in a highly significant delay in overall progression (76% at 10 years) and excellent local control, depending on DNA ploidy pattern (diploid greater than tetraploid greater than aneuploid) compared with a treatment regimen without AHT (24% overall nonprogression); only 20% of all patients with AHT are projected to die of disease at 10 years. Disease in diploid patients (37%) treated with AHT rarely progressed and those patients are unlikely to die of disease in 10 years or less; delayed (on progression) hormone treatment for diploid patients seemed ineffective. Inclusion of values for prostate specific antigen led to a higher failure rate on progression, and this is dependent on DNA ploidy class (diploid greater than tetraploid greater than aneuploid). Only patients with nondiploid tumors should be entered into prospective studies using innovative adjuvant treatment protocols to improve survival.

Is long-term survival possible with external beam irradiation for stage D1 adenocarcinoma of the prostate?

From 1972 to 1986, 354 patients with local and locoregional adenocarcinoma of the prostate were treated with curative intent at the Medical College of Wisconsin. Fifty-six of these patients were found to have Stage D1 disease (evidence of pelvic lymph node involvement). Using external beam irradiation alone, these patients were treated aggressively to the pelvis followed by a boost to the prostate. The median dose to the prostate was 6800 cGy, and to the pelvis, it was 5040 cGy. The median period of observation after treatment was 9 years. Actuarial survival was 76% at 5 years, and disease-free survival was 61% at 5 years. Twenty-three patients had biopsy-proved pelvic lymph node involvement; the other 33 were considered to have Stage D1 disease based on abnormal computed tomographic scans, lymphangiograms, or both. Actuarial survival and disease-free survival were calculated for both groups separately, and there was no statistical difference in the results. Major complications occurred in 3.6% (two patients) of this group with Stage D1 disease. These results support the continued use of aggressive external beam irradiation in patients with locoregional adenocarcinoma of the prostate.

Urinary Prostate Specific Antigen Levels: Role in Monitoring the Response of Prostate Cancer to Therapy

We have shown that prostate specific antigen (PSA) levels can be as readily obtained from voided urine as from serum samples. This procedure was found to give stable and reproducible results. PSA analyses were performed on voided urine collected from 42 patients with benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH), 27 with stage D2 prostate cancer and 57 after radical prostatectomy. The 42 BPH samples had a mean urinary PSA level of 216ng./ml., which did not correlate with estimated prostate size. For 4 of 5 patients with stage D2 disease who presented before hormonal therapy urinary PSA levels were greater than 50ng./ml. For 22 stage D2 patients seen after initiation of hormonal therapy the majority had low urinary PSA levels. After initiation of hormonal therapy in most cases low urinary PSA levels were found in conjunction with high serum PSA values. However, in other cases we found high urinary PSA with low serum PSA levels. Of 43 patients who underwent radical prostatectomy for stages A to C disease it was noteworthy that 77% had elevated urinary PSA levels, while only 33% had elevated serum levels. Therefore, close to 80% of these patients have prostate tissue remaining locally after this operation.

Prostate Specific Antigen Values after Radical Retropubic Prostatectomy for Adenocarcinoma of the Prostate: Impact of Adjuvant Treatment (Hormonal and Radiation)

Prostate specific antigen (PSA) levels were obtained before and after radical retropubic prostatectomy in 192 patients: 78 (41%) had pathological stage B2 cancer or less, 83 (43%) had stage C or C+ and 31 (16%) had stage D1 disease. Of those with stages B2 or less, C, C+ and D1 disease 82, 86, 65 and 90%, respectively, had postoperative PSA values of 0.2ng./ml. or less (when first evaluated 30 or more days postoperatively). At 1 year postoperatively 94% of the stages C and C+ cancer patients treated with adjuvant radiation had PSA levels of 0.2ng./ml. or less, which was significantly different from those not treated adjuvantly (p = 0.02). This effect of adjuvant radiation on PSA was temporary in the small number of patients with longer followup. Adjuvant orchiectomy for stage D1 lesions resulted in female PSA levels in virtually all cases. This decrease may be misleading and may reflect a direct hormonal effect rather than a decrease in tumor volume. Positive surgical margins did not significantly affect postoperative PSA levels, possibly because of the frequent use of adjuvant treatment.

Flow Cytometric DNA Analysis of Stage D2 Prostatic Carcinoma

Flow cytometric DNA analysis was performed on 34 samples of prostatic carcinoma patients with stage D2 disease to study the relationship between DNA ploidy pattern, Gleason sum score, and prognosis. Nuclei were extracted from paraffin-embedded needle biopsy specimens. The DNA ploidy pattern was diploid in 53% of the tumors, tetraploid in 38%, and aneuploid in 9%. A significant correlation between DNA ploidy pattern, Gleason sum score, and prognosis was not proved. It was considered that DNA ploidy pattern and Gleason sum score of limited primary lesion did not allow a prognosis of the patients with stage D2 prostatic carcinoma to be made.

Prognostic Significance of Prostate Specific Antigen in Endocrine Treatment for Prostatic Cancer

The prognostic value of prostate specific antigen was evaluated to predict disease progression after endocrine therapy in patients with prostatic cancer. A total of 73 patients was studied (6 with stage B2,16 with stage C, 9 with stage D1 and 42 with stage D2 disease). Endocrine therapy included bilateral orchiectomy, diethylstilbestrol diphosphate and luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone analogue. Pre-treatment serum prostate specific antigen levels were determined in all patients with an enzyme immunoassay kit. During a followup of 4 to 68 months (average 24 months) clinical disease progression occurred in 24 of the 73 patients. The pre-treatment prostate specific antigen level by itself did not predict disease progression. Changes in prostate specific antigen level with treatment were correlated with the interval to disease progression in the 44 patients who had prostate specific antigen determinations at regular intervals after endocrine therapy and whose initial level was greater than 10ng./ml. Patients who had a decrease in the prostate specific antigen levels of 80% or more within 1 month after the beginning of therapy survived significantly longer free of disease progression (p <0.001). Patients whose prostate specific antigen level remained elevated for more than 3 months had a high risk of disease progression within 2 years. Our study suggests that patients with the more favorable prognosis can be identified early, after 1 to 3 months of endocrine therapy, by the rapid decrease in the prostate specific antigen levels.

New Concepts in the Treatment of Stage D1 Adenocarcinoma of the Prostate

Stage D1 disease will be encountered in 20 per cent of patients by those who treat prostate cancer. There is marked heterogeneity among cancers discovered at this stage, with 5-year disease-free survival rates ranging from 0 to 95 per cent. Generally, when prostate cancer has escaped the confines of the gland, metastasis occurs, and widespread systemic disease prevails. Any significant chance for long-term cure will then depend on systemic therapy. From maturing data in retrospective reviews, preliminary data from prospective trials, and recent well-conducted animal studies, chemotherapy and hormonal deprivation appear most effective when tumor volumes are the smallest. This evidence supports the removal of all cancer possible and the early institution of systemic treatment. Caution must be exercised in extrapolating the aforementioned evidence to include cases of more extensive prostate cancer (i.e., patients with bulky pelvic or retroperitoneal disease, distant metastasis, or significant elevation of serum markers). It is doubtful that "debulking" with removal of the prostate and lymph nodes will provide any justifiable advantages in these patients. Whether removal of the prostate affords any local palliative benefit is an issue for debate. Certainly, the primary tumor, if left untreated, will progress locally and cause symptoms necessitating further procedures in more than half these patients, whereas the incidence of local recurrence and the adverse effects of these recurrences in patients with D1 disease after radical prostatectomy and adjuvant therapy is less than 10 per cent. Surgical refinements coupled with acceptably low morbidity now associated with radical prostatectomy have led some authors to endorse the palliative benefits of removing the primary tumor in selected patients. The purpose of this article is not to endorse or disparage the aggressive treatment of patients with stage D1 prostate cancer. The evidence suggests that if long-term survival is the endpoint used to compare treatment groups, then to date no treatment option offers significant advantages. On the contrary, if progression rates or disease-free survival are compared, then cytoreductive surgery and early systemic adjuvant treatment (testosterone deprivation or chemotherapy) provides significant advantages for selected patients with stage D1 disease. Although ploidy analysis, receptor mapping, and oncogene assays are promising, today, there is no practical way to identify patients who will benefit most from multimodality treatment approaches.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Histochemical examination of expression of ras p21 protein and R 1881-binding protein in human prostatic cancers

Expression of ras p21 was examined with monoclonal antibody RASK-3 in normal, benign hyperplasic, and cancerous prostates. In patients with stage D2 disease who received endocrine therapy, the relation between ras p21 expression, response to therapy, and prognosis was studied. In these patients, R 1881-binding protein (androgen receptor and progestin-binding protein) was also examined. Non-cancerous cells and most cancer cells from stage A patients did not express ras p21, while expression increased with both higher staging and grading. Staging pelvic lymphadenectomy was done in some stage A2-C cases, and presence of nodal metastasis was correlated with ras p21 expressions in the primary tumours. In stage D2, there was no correlation between ras p21 expression and R 1881-binding protein. Response to therapy and survival did not correlate with expression of ras p21, but was influenced by presence of R 1881-binding protein.

Results of Local and/or Systemic Adjuvant Therapy in the Management of Pathological Stage C or D1 Prostate Cancer Following Radical Prostatectomy

Between 1976 and 1984, 47 of 108 patients (44%) who underwent radical retropubic prostatectomy and pelvic lymphadenectomy for clinical stage A2 or B adenocarcinoma of the prostate were found to have pathological stage C or D1 disease. A total of 31 consecutive patients with pathological stage C disease received 45 to 55Gy. adjuvant external beam radiation postoperatively. Actuarial 5 and 10-year survival rates free of disease were 92%, with a local recurrence rate of 3% and a distant recurrence rate of 6% at a mean followup of 5 years. Sixteen consecutive pathological stage D1 cancer patients received 45 to 60Gy. adjuvant external beam radiation alone (4), adjuvant cytotoxic chemotherapy alone with cyclophosphamide (5) or combined adjuvant radiation and chemotherapy (7). Actuarial 5 and 10-year survival rates free of disease were 86% with no local recurrences and a distant recurrence rate of 12% at a mean followup of 5 years. These results provide further evidence to support the use of adjuvant external beam radiation therapy in the management of pathological stage C disease. Our preliminary results suggest that an aggressive, multidisciplinary approach is warranted in pathological stage D1 disease and that adjuvant chemotherapy, with or without adjuvant radiation, may have a role in prolonging survival free of disease in this high risk group. (J. Urol., 142: 1266-1271, 1989)

Transrectal ultrasonography: Early experience with use as prostate cancer detection tool

Two hundred forty asymptomatic males, aged fifty five to seventy years, underwent transrectal ultrasound of the prostate as part of a screening examination in conjunction with The National Prostate Cancer Detection Project (NPCDP). Nineteen prostate adenocarcinomas were detected, eight of which were nonpalpable. Fifteen of these patients had pathologic Stage B, 2 had microscopic Stage C (seminal vesicle involvement), and 2 had Stage D2 (bone) disease. While the activity and treatment of the eight nonpalpable lesions remain in question, the diagnosis certainly was made only with this type of examination. The use of transrectal ultrasound as a screening tool must continue to be prospectively evaluated in a multicenter trial.

Prognostic significance of dna ploidy in carcinoma of prostate

Flow cytometry was used to measure the DNA content in archived paraffinembedded human prostatic cancer tissue for 69 patients with known outcomes that presented between 1975 and 1982. Of these, 51 patients had clinically localized lesions and were surgically staged prior to radical prostatectomy, while 18 patients presented with advanced Stage D2 disease. Thirty-six of 37 (97.3 %) pathologic Stage B lesions were diploid. In contrast, the majority (72.2 % ) of patients with metastatic disease had aneuploid tumors. The average Gleason grade for aneuploid tumors was 8.2 ± 1.98 versus 5.5 ± 1.89 for diploid tumors (p < 0.01). For 51 patients with clinically localized tumors, 13.9 percent of diploid tumors with a low Gleason sum (2 to 6) had extracapsular spread of tumor or regional lymph node involvement compared with 83.3 percent of aneuploid tumors with high Gleason scores (7 to 10). The addition of DNA ploidy to degree of glandular differentiation may enhance the prognostic evaluation of prostatic tumors and eventually improve our ability to select patients who are likely to benefit from radical prostatectomy.