Lack of prognostic significance of prostate biopsies in metastatic androgen independent prostate cancer.
OBJECTIVE
To assess the significance of viable tumour in the prostate of patients with metastatic androgen-independent prostate cancer (AIPC).


METHODS
We evaluated the clinicopathological features, including follow-up, of 40 men with metastatic AIPC who had a transrectal biopsy of the prostate.


RESULTS
Prostate biopsies (median three cores per biopsy) showed viable tumour in 19 of 40 patients (48%). Of the 18 patients who had received radiotherapy (RT), nine had negative on-study biopsy results. A previous history of RT was not associated with overall survival in patients with biopsy-positive tumours (P = 0.84). Also, there was no statistically significant association between positive or negative biopsy status and overall survival (OS) in these 40 patients (P = 0.39), with a similar median OS of 19.6 months for biopsy-negative and 19.8 months for biopsy-positive patients, respectively.


CONCLUSIONS
Taking prostate biopsies at the time of documented metastatic AIPC yielded tumour in about half the patients. A previous history of RT was not associated with a negative prostate biopsy; the latter appears to have no influence on the prognosis.
Aragon-Ching
Jeanny B
JB
Medical Oncology Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bathesda, MD, USA.
Gillespie
John
J
Price
Douglas K
DK
Chuaqui
Rodrigo
R
Rodriguez-Canales
Jaime
J
Steinberg
Seth M
SM
Dahut
William L
WL
Figg
William D
WD
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000728:Androgens / Q000378:metabolism*; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001707:Biopsy, Needle; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D009376:Neoplasms, Hormone-Dependent / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy; D011379:Prognosis; D011467:Prostate / Q000473:pathology*; D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen / Q000097:blood; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy
D000728:Androgens; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen