[-2]Proenzyme prostate specific antigen is more accurate than total and free prostate specific antigen in differentiating prostate cancer from benign disease in a prospective prostate cancer screening study.

PURPOSE: Due to the limited specificity of prostate specific antigen for prostate cancer screening, there is an ongoing search for adjunctive biomarkers. Retrospective studies have suggested that an isoform of proenzyme prostate specific antigen called [-2]proenzyme prostate specific antigen may enhance the specificity of prostate specific antigen based screening. We examined the usefulness of this isoform in a prospective prostate cancer screening study. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From a population of 2,034 men undergoing prostate cancer screening we examined the relationship between the measurement of the [-2]isoform of proenzyme prostate specific antigen (p2PSA) and prostate cancer detection. Specifically we compared the usefulness of total prostate specific antigen, the ratio of free-to-total prostate specific antigen, the ratio of p2PSA-to-free prostate specific antigen, and a formula combining prostate specific antigen, free prostate specific antigen and p2PSA (the Beckman Coulter prostate health index or phi) to predict prostate cancer in men from the study undergoing prostate biopsy with a prostate specific antigen of 2.5 to 10 ng/ml and nonsuspicious digital rectal examination. RESULTS: Despite similar total prostate specific antigen (p = 0.88), percent free prostate specific antigen (p = 0.02) and %p2PSA (p = 0.0006) distinguished between positive and negative biopsy results. On ROC analysis %p2PSA (AUC 0.76) outperformed prostate specific antigen (AUC 0.50) and percent free prostate specific antigen (AUC 0.68) for differentiating between prostate cancer and benign disease. Setting the sensitivity at 88.5%, p2PSA led to a substantial improvement in specificity as well as positive and negative predictive values. The Beckman Coulter prostate health index (AUC 0.77) had the best overall performance characteristics. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first prospective study to our knowledge to demonstrate that p2PSA provides improved discrimination between prostate cancer and benign disease in screened men with a prostate specific antigen of 2.5 to 10 ng/ml and a negative digital rectal examination.

Reducing blood loss in open radical retropubic prostatectomy with prophylactic periprostatic sutures.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether the placement of small-calibre, rapidly absorbed prophylactic periprostatic sutures before the mobilization of the prostate could reduce blood loss during open retropubic radical prostatectomy (RRP). PATIENTS AND METHODS: In 2007, during open RRP, we began placing prophylactic haemostatic sutures of 4-0 and 3-0 plain catgut in the anterior portions of the distal neurovascular bundles (NVBs) and lateral to the proximal NVBs and prostate pedicles before initiating the nerve-sparing dissection and mobilizing the prostate gland. To evaluate whether this reduced intraoperative blood loss, we compared estimated blood loss (EBL), non-autologous transfusion rates, and postoperative haemoglobin (Hb) levels between 100 consecutive patients treated immediately before and 100 consecutive patients treated immediately after the adoption of the prophylactic periprostatic suture technique. RESULTS: Before the use of prophylactic haemostatic sutures, the mean intraoperative blood loss was 1285 mL, and one patient (1%) received an intraoperative non-autologous transfusion. After the adoption of prophylactic sutures, the mean EBL was 700 mL (P < 0.001), and there were no transfusions. The mean Hb concentration the morning after RRP was 10.9 g/dL before and 11.8 g/dL after the initiation of prophylactic haemostatic sutures (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Prophylactic periprostatic haemostatic sutures significantly reduce intraoperative blood loss during open RRP.

Pathological features after radical prostatectomy in potential candidates for active monitoring.

PURPOSE: There are numerous reports on the results of watchful waiting or active monitoring protocols for men with low volume, biopsy Gleason grade 6 or less prostate cancer. When counseling patients with low grade prostate cancer about treatment options, it is useful to know the results of surgical treatment in this population. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In a contemporary radical prostatectomy series there were 455 patients with biopsy Gleason grade 3 + 3 prostate cancer and information on the number of positive biopsy cores. Of these men 292 had low volume disease on the basis of 2 or fewer positive cores. RESULTS: Overall 245 of 292 men (84%) with low volume Gleason 3 + 3 prostate cancer on biopsy had organ confined disease. The Gleason score in the prostatectomy specimen was 7 or greater in 78 men (27%), 25 (8%) had extracapsular tumor extension and 29 (10%) had positive surgical margins. In these patients preoperative variables were not reliable predictors of adverse pathological features. CONCLUSIONS: More than a third of Gleason 3 + 3 tumors on biopsy were upgraded in the radical prostatectomy specimen or had other adverse pathological features. Our results suggest that low volume Gleason 3 + 3 prostate cancer is frequently under staged, and that immediate therapy with radical prostatectomy is associated with favorable outcomes.

Improved stage and grade-specific progression-free survival rates after radical prostatectomy in the PSA era.

OBJECTIVES: Since the initiation of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening, the progression-free survival (PFS) rates after radical prostatectomy have markedly improved. However, few studies have evaluated whether PFS has improved for stage and grade-matched patients. Our objective was to examine differences in PFS after radical prostatectomy between the pre-PSA era (before 1992) and the PSA era, controlling for tumor stage and grade. METHODS: From 1983 to 2003, 3456 men underwent radical prostatectomy by one surgeon. The 10-year PFS rates were calculated for each era and stratified by pathologic tumor stage and grade. Kaplan-Meier curves were generated to show biochemical PFS over time. RESULTS: The proportion of patients with pathologically organ-confined disease increased from 64% to 69%, consistent with stage migration. The PFS rate in the PSA era was 87%, 63%, 58%, and 31% versus 71%, 63%, 47%, and 19% in the pre-PSA era for Stage pT2R0, pT3R0, pT2-T3R1, and pT3c/N1 disease, respectively. The PFS rate stratified by Gleason grade in the PSA era was 84%, 63%, and 37% versus 66%, 49%, and 32% in the pre-PSA era for Gleason grade less than 7, 7, and 8 to 10, respectively. The 10-year PFS rate for organ-confined disease improved from 70% in the pre-PSA era to 86% in the PSA era. CONCLUSIONS: Patients treated with radical prostatectomy in the PSA era have improved survival outcomes when controlling for pathologic stage and grade. This is likely attributed to the earlier detection of cancer through PSA screening, better identification of patients amenable to curative therapy, and the effects of lead-time bias.