title: Assessment of low prostate weight as a determinant of a higher positive margin rate after laparoscopic radical prostatectomy: a prospective pathologic study of 1,500 cases.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The assessment of prostate weight as a determinant of a high prostate margin rate after laparoscopic radical prostatectomy has not been studied.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective pathologic findings of 1,500 patients who underwent laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (LRP, 399 cases) and da Vinci prostatectomy (DVP, 1,101 cases) between December 2000 to June 2006 at City of Hope National Medical Center were evaluated. Gleason score, pathologic stage, the presence or absence of positive margins, extraprostatic tumor extension, and seminal vesicle involvement by tumor were recorded in all patients. Preoperational serum prostate specific antigen (PSA) levels were recorded in all but 13 cases. These parameters were then correlated with prostate weight.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of 1,500 patients, 345 had one or more positive margins (23%). Patients with low median prostate weight (49 g) had a significantly higher positive margin rate (p < 0.0001) and incidence of extraprostatic extension by tumor (p = 0.04), and were 1.523 times more likely to have positive margins [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.167-1.985].
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We conclude that low prostate weight may be a determinant of a higher recurrence rate and more aggressive disease.
authors.affiliation: Division of Pathology, City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, CA 91010, USA. pchu@coh.org
authors.forename: Peiguo G
authors.initials: PG
authors.lastname: Chu
authors.forename: Sean K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Lau
authors.forename: Lawrence M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Weiss
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kawachi
authors.forename: Jeffrey
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yoshida
authors.forename: Christopher
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ruel
authors.forename: Rebecca
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Nelson
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Crocitto
authors.forename: Timothy
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Wilson
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D006801:Humans; D010535:Laparoscopy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000473:pathology*; D009929:Organ Size; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011467:Prostate / Q000473:pathology*; D011468:Prostatectomy; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D012371:Robotics