title: Prostate cancer: correlation between local and systemic disease.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Prostate cancer is in Italian men the second neoplasm for incidence. Transrectal ultrasonography (TRUS) is still today a cheap test, not very invasive, well accepted by the motivated patient and sufficiently accurate for the valuation of the local status disease. We proposed our data to verify if a careful local ultrasonographic study of prostatic carcinoma could or not predict its systemic course.
  
  
  METHODS
  We have valued 136 out patients affected by prostate cancer and treated with either palliative medical therapy or radiotherapy. The follow-up varies from 12 to 132 months. The local, evaluation of the disease done through TRUS in longitudinal and/or axial scan (the dimension of the gland, the volume and ultrasonographic characteristics of the lesion, capsular involvement and estimation of the surrounding structures: seminal vesicles, vesica, rectum).
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the long run, considering the local and systemic course of the disease, we have noticed accordance globally in 116 patients (85.3%); 13 patients showed only systematic progression (9.5%) while in 7 patients, we have noticed a local but not a systemic variation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We can deduce that periodical carrying-out of the TRUS (twice a year) constitute a reliable index not only of local procedure of the pt. but also predicting the systemic course of the disease, making the routine carrying out of the other check-up unnecessary, that could be reserved for cases with precise clinical indication.
authors.affiliation: Urology Clinic University of Perugia.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Marzi
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Rosi
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Mearini
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bracarda
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cesaroni
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Porena
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D018450:Disease Progression; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D014463:Ultrasonography