Editorial Comment to Identification of prostate cancer risk categories according to surgical margins status, pathological stage and Gleason score

Introduction: The use of accepted prostate cancer risk stratification groups based on prostate-specific antigen, T stage and Gleason score assists in therapeutic treatment decision-making, clinical trial design and outcome reporting. The utility of integrating novel prognostic factors into an updated risk stratification schema is an area of current debate. The purpose of this work is to critically review the available literature on novel pre-treatment prognostic factors and alternative prostate cancer risk stratification schema to assess the feasibility and need for changes to existing risk stratification systems. Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted to identify original research publications and review articles on prognostic factors and risk stratification in prostate cancer. Search terms included risk stratification, risk assessment, prostate cancer or neoplasms, and prognostic factors. Abstracted information was assessed to draw conclusions regarding the potential utility of changes to existing risk stratification schema. Results: The critical review identified three specific clinically relevant potential changes to the most commonly used three-group risk stratification system: (1) the creation of a very-low risk category; (2) the splitting of intermediate-risk into a low- and highintermediate risk groups; and (3) the clarification of the interface between intermediate- and high-risk disease. Novel pathological factors regarding high-grade cancer, subtypes of Gleason score 7 and percentage biopsy cores positive were also identified as potentially important risk-stratification factors. Conclusions: Multiple studies of prognostic factors have been performed to create currently utilized prostate cancer risk stratification systems. We propose potential changes to existing systems.

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The importance of surgical margins for biochemical recurrence in high-risk prostate cancer patients.

Journal of Clinical Oncology ◽

10.1200/jco.2017.35.6_suppl.75 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 35 (6_suppl) ◽

pp. 75-75

Author(s):

Victor Srougi ◽

Rafael Sanchez-Salas ◽

Fernando P. Secin ◽

Igor Nunes-Silva ◽

Mohammed Baghdadi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Prostate Cancer ◽

High Risk ◽

Gleason Score ◽

Biochemical Recurrence ◽

Surgical Margins ◽

Pathological Stage ◽

Free Survival ◽

Positive Surgical Margins ◽

High Risk Prostate Cancer ◽

Risk Prostate Cancer

75 Background: High-risk prostate cancer (PCa) is associated with greater risk of biochemical recurrence and cancer specific lethality. A multi-modal treatment is required for this group of patients, comprising surgery as part of it. However, the role of surgery as monotherapy is still under investigation. The purpose of this study is to analyze the influence of surgical margins on biochemical recurrence (BCR) among patients with high-risk prostate cancer (PCa) treated with robot assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP) since the start of our robotic program. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed our prospectively collected database of 5695 minimally invasive prostatectomies performed between 2000 and 2015. Clinical, pathological and oncological outcomes were evaluated in patients fulfilling Damico´s high risk characteristics. Primary endpoint was BCR, defined as post-operative PSA ≥ 0,2. Patients with neoadjuvant or adjuvant therapy were excluded. BCR was estimated with Kaplan-Meier curves. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to estimate variables associated with BCR. Results: We identified 199 high-risk PCa patients treated with RARP during the study period. Gleason score ≥ 8, PSA ≥ 20 and clinical stage ≥ T2c were present in 44%, 35% and 11% of the patients, respectively. The rate of positive surgical margins was 25%. With a median follow-up of 23 months (interquartile 12 – 34 months), 31% of the patients had BCR. Five-year BCR-free survival was 34,5%. Gleason score ≥ 8, PSA ≥ 20 and positive surgical margins were not predictors of BCR. A positive correlation of pathological stage ≥ T3 and BCR was found with (HR = 2.9; 95% CI = 1.2-6.9). Conclusions: The 5-years BCR-free survival was poor despite a low rate of positive surgical margins, when compared to historical series. We found that pathological stage ≥ T3 has a significant correlation with the BCR and that negative surgical margins do not assure good prognosis for high-risk patients.

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