title: [Distribution features of Gleason score and its relationship with clinical stages in 346 prostate cancer patients].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To analyze the distribution features of Gleason score and evaluate the relationship between Gleason score and clinical stages in patients with prostate cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  Surveys were made of the inpatients with prostate cancer diagnosed by pathology from January 1992 to June 2005 in our hospital. Gleason score and clinical stages were determined on the basis of pathological examination and clinical data of the prostate cancer patients. The patients were divided into three groups (1992-1999, 2000-2002 and 2003-2005). The Chi-square test was used to evaluate the distribution and differences of Gleason score among the three groups. Spearman rank correlation was applied to the evaluation of the relationship between Gleason score and clinical stages.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We found a statistically significant shift in the distribution of Gleason score (chi2 = 17.703, P < 0.01), and a slight increase in the mean Gleason score. The proportion of moderately differentiated tumor increased (chi2 = 10.736, P < 0.01). There was little change in the proportion of Gleason score 7, 8, 9 and 10 (chi2 = 4.038, P > 0.05). Gleason score had a significant positive correlation with clinical stages in the 346 cases of prostate cancer (r = 0.452, P < 0.01). Significant difference was observed between Gleason score 2-6 and 7 or 8-10 (chi2 = 8.786, P < 0.01, chi2 = 22.956, P < 0.01), but not between the latter 2 groups (chi2 = 0.787, P > 0.05) in prediction of organ-confined disease.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Gleason score 7 shows the similar value to Gleason score 8-10 in predicting the progression of the disease. Gleason score was significantly correlated with clinical stages, which suggests that Gleason score is also an important indicator for the prognosis of prostate cancer.
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310003, China.
authors.forename: Shuo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Li-Ping
authors.initials: LP
authors.lastname: Xie
authors.forename: Hua-Feng
authors.initials: HF
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.forename: Xiang-Yi
authors.initials: XY
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.forename: Jie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Qin
authors.forename: Yu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Bai
authors.forename: Chen-Guang
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Zhao-Dian
authors.initials: ZD
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Song-Liang
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Cai
authors.forename: Zhi-Gen
authors.initials: ZG
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Guo-Ping
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: Ren
authors.forename: Li-Jun
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Xin-Ru
authors.initials: XR
authors.lastname: Yu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies