Association of prostate size and tumor grade in Korean men with clinically localized prostate cancer.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the association of prostate size with aggressiveness of prostate cancer in Korean men who received radical retropubic prostatectomy (RRP) for clinically localized prostate cancer.


METHODS
We evaluated the association of RRP specimen weight and prostate volume measured by transrectal ultrasound (TRUS) with pathologic tumor grade, extraprostatic extension of disease, surgical margin status, and seminal vesicle invasion by reviewing data of 346 consecutive patients who underwent RRP for clinically localized prostate cancer at our institution without receiving preoperative radiation or hormonal treatment.


RESULTS
A strong correlation was observed between RRP specimen weight and TRUS-measured prostate volume (Spearman r = 0.76; P <0.001). After adjustment for multiple variables including age, body mass index, and preoperative prostate-specific antigen level, RRP specimen weight was observed to be significantly associated with presence of Gleason pattern 4 or greater at RRP in an inverse fashion (P = 0.03). Regarding other adverse pathologic features, prostate weight was also significantly inversely associated with extraprostatic extension of prostate cancer (P = 0.04) and surgical margin positivity (P = 0.002). When TRUS-measured prostate volume was applied in place of RRP specimen weight, results were the same.


CONCLUSIONS
Our data indicate that prostate size may be a useful predictor of tumor aggressiveness in Korean men with clinically localized prostate cancer. Further efforts should be made to elucidate actual mechanisms behind the association of prostate size and/or in vivo androgenicity with aggressiveness of prostate cancer.
Hong
Sung Kyu
SK
Department of Urology, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam, Korea.
Yu
Ji Hyung
JH
Han
Byung Kyu
BK
Chang
In Ho
IH
Jeong
Seong Jin
SJ
Byun
Seok-Soo
SS
Lee
Hak Jong
HJ
Choe
Gheeyoung
G
Lee
Sang Eun
SE
D006801:Humans; D007723:Korea; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009929:Organ Size; D011468:Prostatectomy; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery