Analysis of T1c prostate cancers treated at very low prostate-specific antigen levels.
BACKGROUND
The Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial (PCPT) has challenged the validity of recommended prostate-specific antigen (PSA) thresholds for prostate biopsy (> 2.5 ng/ml) given the 17% prostate cancer (pCA) detection rate at PSA of 1.1-2.0. The outcome of patients treated at PSA < or = 2.5 is poorly defined, and advantages associated with such an early diagnosis are uncertain.


OBJECTIVE
Compare the outcome of patients with T1c pCA with pretreatment PSA < or = 2.5 and 2.6-4.0.


METHODS
Since 1998, 351 patients with clinical stage T1c and PSA < or = 4.0 have been treated at our institution; 84 (24%) of those patients had PSA < or = 2.5. Clinical information was obtained from a prospective database. Treatment was radical prostatectomy (RP), brachytherapy, and external-beam radiotherapy (EBRT) in 261 (74%), 67 (19%), and 23 (7%) patients, respectively.


METHODS
Definitive therapy for clinically localized pCA.


METHODS
Progression-free probability and pathologic end points.


CONCLUSIONS
No significant differences between the groups were observed in terms of biopsy (18% vs 22%) or specimen Gleason score 7-8 (44% vs 56%), non-organ-confined cancer (11% vs 13%), indolent cancer (34% vs 24%), or 5-yr progression-free probability (89% vs 93%; p>0.1 for all). More biologically unimportant cancers (defined as pathologically organ-confined and Gleason < or = 6) were identified among patients with PSA < or = 2.5 (55% vs 41%, p=0.050), and indolent cancers were three times more frequent than non-organ-confined cancers among these patients (p=0.003).


CONCLUSIONS
The pathologic features and outcome of patients treated at low PSA levels are favorable and similar for patients with PSA < or = 2.5 versus 2.6-4.0. However, > 50% of the former have potentially biologically unimportant cancer. We failed to identify a therapeutic benefit to the diagnosis of cancers below accepted PSA thresholds for biopsy.
Stephenson
Andrew J
AJ
Section of Urologic Oncology, Glickman Urological and Kidney Institute, Department of Quantitative Health Sciences, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, Ohio 44195-0001, USA. stephea2@ccf.org [corrected]
Jones
J Stephen
JS
Hernandez
Adrian V
AV
Ciezki
Jay P
JP
Gong
Michael C
MC
Klein
Eric A
EA
D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen / Q000097:blood*; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*
D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen