title: The role of volume-weighted mean nuclear volume in predicting disease outcome in patients with prostate cancer treated with radical prostatectomy.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Estimates of volume-weighted mean nuclear volume (MNV) are the only means by which unbiased estimates of three-dimensional parameters can be obtained from single two-dimensional sections without any assumptions. We have reported that for prostate cancer estimates of MNV are prognostically equal or superior to morphological grading of malignancy, such as Gleason score (GS), and in particular, that MNV proved to be a meaningful predictor of prognosis for patients with clinically localized tumors. However, all previous studies were conducted on patients treated conservatively, and no authors have tested whether estimates of MNV can predict the prognosis of patients treated with radical prostatectomy.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective prognostic study of 52 patients with clinically localized prostate cancer diagnosed at three Hospitals in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan (Shizuoka City Hospital, Shizuoka Prefectural Hospital and Shimada Municipal Hospital) and treated by radical prostatectomy was performed. Twenty of these patients were treated with hormone therapy before radical prostatectomy. Unbiased estimates of MNV were compared with clinical stage, histological grading according to GS and neo-adjuvant hormone therapy with regard to the prognostic value.
  
  
  RESULTS
  MNV was significantly correlated with pathological T stage, but was not significantly correlated with the presence or absence of lymph node metastasis. Univariate analysis revealed that MNV correlated significantly with progression-free survival (p = 0.0116). Multivariate analysis revealed that MNV (p = 0.0115) and GS (p = 0.0275) were two significant independent predictors of progression-free survival.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results of the present study suggest that MNV and GS are powerful independent predictors of prognosis for prostate cancer treated with radical prostatectomy. We recommend estimates of MNV as a supportive method to the histological grading for patients with prostate cancer.
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Kobe City General Hospital, Japan.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Fujikawa
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Itoh
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Nishio
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Miyakawa
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sasaki
mesh_terms: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000473:pathology*; D004054:Diethylstilbestrol / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000627:therapeutic use; D018450:Disease Progression; D007987:Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone / Q000031:analogs & derivatives; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D020360:Neoadjuvant Therapy; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011379:Prognosis; D011468:Prostatectomy / Q000379:methods; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D017741:Survivors; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D007987:Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone; D004054:Diethylstilbestrol; C004955:fosfestrol