Optimal Monitoring of Prostate-Specific Antigen Detects Prostate Cancer at the Localized Stage after Photoselective Vaporization for Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Photoselective vaporization of the prostate (PVP) does not provide prostate tissue for pathologic analysis. Here, we carried out early monitoring for prostate cancer by measuring prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels and assessing clinicopathological features after PVP. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients (n = 800) who underwent PVP and were followed-up for more than 12 months were analyzed retrospectively. After PVP, PSA levels were measured at 3 and 12 months and each year thereafter. Prostate biopsies were performed when PSA levels increased continuously. We assessed the characteristics of patients diagnosed with prostate cancer. RESULTS: The mean follow-up period was 49 months. After PVP, 54 patients underwent biopsies, and 23 patients were diagnosed with prostate cancer. Overall, 10, 10, and 3 patients had clinical stage T1c, T2a, and T2b disease, respectively, and there were no cases of stage T2c disease or greater. CONCLUSIONS: We found that it was possible to diagnose prostate cancer at a localized stage under our optimal PSA monitoring schedule before and after PVP.