Prognostic implications of an undetectable ultrasensitive prostate-specific antigen level after radical prostatectomy.
BACKGROUND
The prognostic meaning of an undetectable ultrasensitive prostate-specific antigen (USPSA) level after prostatectomy remains unclear.


OBJECTIVE
To determine whether an undetectable USPSA level obtained after surgery is a predictor of biochemical recurrence (BCR)-free survival.


METHODS
From the Urologic Oncology Database at the University of California San Francisco, 525 men were identified who had a USPSA measurement 1-3 mo postoperatively with at least 2 yr of follow-up. All preoperative and pathologic criteria were recorded.


METHODS
Patients were stratified based on their initial USPSA level. We defined an undetectable USPSA level at ≤0.05 ng/ml. Recurrence was defined as two consecutive prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels ≥0.2 ng/ml or secondary treatment.


CONCLUSIONS
We found that 456 patients (87%) had undetectable USPSA and 69 patients (13%) had detectable USPSA immediately postprostatectomy. A 5-yr recurrence-free rate of 86% was found in the undetectable USPSA group compared with 67% in the detectable USPSA group (p<0.01). For patients with pT3 disease, men with an undetectable USPSA had a 5-yr BCR-free survival rate of 78% compared with 40% for men with a detectable USPSA (p<0.01). A multivariable analysis confirmed that patients with an undetectable USPSA were 67% less likely to recur (hazard ratio: 0.33; 95% confidence interval: 0.20-0.55). As the detection level of PSA is lowered, the false-positive rate of BCR necessarily increases. A limitation of the study is its retrospective nature.


CONCLUSIONS
An undetectable USPSA after radical prostatectomy is a prognostic indicator of BCR-free survival at 5 yr and may aid in predicting outcome in higher risk patients.
Department of Urology, University of California San Francisco Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, San Francisco, CA, USA.
Michael L
ML
Eisenberg
Benjamin J
BJ
Davies
Matthew R
MR
Cooperberg
Janet E
JE
Cowan
Peter R
PR
Carroll
D000368:Aged; D001706:Biopsy; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D006801:Humans; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen / Q000097:blood*; D011468:Prostatectomy; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen