title: Biochemical recurrence following radical prostatectomy: a comparison between prostate cancers located in different anatomical zones.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  To assess whether differences of biochemical recurrence after radical prostatectomy exist between prostate cancers located in the transition zone (TZ) and peripheral zone (PZ).
  
  
  METHODS
  The 5-year biochemical recurrence rate of 307 patients was evaluated. A serum prostate specific antigen (PSA) level > or =0.1 ng/ml was defined as biochemical failure. Cancers were characterized by the location of the largest tumor area as TZ or PZ cancers. Pure PZ cancers were matched to TZ cancers by comparable pathological tumor stage, Gleason score, and surgical margin status.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In 63 (20.5%) patients the largest tumor area was located in the TZ. A Kaplan-Meier analysis of the matched pairs calculated an 80% actuarial cure rate of TZ cancers compared to 89% of pure PZ cancers (log-rank test P = 0.742).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  TZ and pure PZ cancers matched by comparable pathological tumor stage, Gleason score, and surgical margin status showed no statistical difference in regard to biochemical cure following radical prostatectomy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, University Hospital Hamburg-Eppendorf, University of Hamburg, Martinistrasse 52, D-20246 Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Herbert
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Augustin
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Erbersdobler
authors.forename: Markus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Graefen
authors.forename: Salvador
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fernandez
authors.forename: Jüri
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Palisaar
authors.forename: Hartwig
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Huland
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Hammerer
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016555:Matched-Pair Analysis; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000097:blood / Q000473:pathology*; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen / Q000097:blood; D011468:Prostatectomy; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery*; D016019:Survival Analysis
chemical_list: D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen