title: Prediction of pathological stage in prostate cancer through the percentage of involved fragments upon biopsy.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The need for defining the extension of disease in patients undergoing radical prostatectomy due to prostate adenocarcinoma is a relevant factor cure in such individuals. In order to identify a new independent preoperative factor for predicting the extension of prostate cancer, we assessed the role of the percentage of positive fragments upon biopsy.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective study compared the percentage of positive fragments on biopsy with the extension of disease as defined by the pathological examination of the surgical specimen from 898 patients undergoing radical prostatectomy due to clinically localized prostate cancer.
  
  
  RESULTS
  On the univariate analysis, the percentage of positive fragments on biopsy showed a statistical significance for predicting confined disease (p < 0.001), which was found in 66.7% of the cases under study. Additionally, we observed that the total number of removed fragments exerts no influence on the extension of the disease (p = 0.567).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  the percentage of positive fragments is an independent factor for predicting the pathological stage of prostate adenocarcinoma, and the number of removed fragments is not related to the extension of the disease.
authors.affiliation: Division of Urology, Paulista School of Medicine, Federal University of Sao Paulo, UNIFESP, Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil. marcosdallogliouro@terra.com.br
authors.forename: Marcos F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Dall'Oglio
authors.forename: Alexandre
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Crippa
authors.forename: Luis C
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Oliveira
authors.forename: Joao F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Neves Neto
authors.forename: Katia R
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: Leite
authors.forename: Miguel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Srougi
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D000328:Adult; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001706:Biopsy; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness / Q000473:pathology; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011379:Prognosis; D011467:Prostate / Q000473:pathology*; D011468:Prostatectomy; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D012189:Retrospective Studies