Length of positive surgical margin after radical prostatectomy as a predictor of biochemical recurrence.
OBJECTIVE
Length and location of positive surgical margins are independent predictors of biochemical recurrence after open radical prostatectomy. We assessed their impact on biochemical recurrence in a large robotic prostatectomy series.


METHODS
Data were collected prospectively from 1,398 men undergoing robotic radical prostatectomy for clinically localized prostate cancer from 2003 to 2008 at a single institution. The associations of preoperative prostate specific antigen, pathological Gleason score, pathological stage and positive surgical margin parameters (location, length and focality) with biochemical recurrence rate were evaluated. Margin status and length were measured by a single uropathologist. Biochemical recurrence was defined as serum prostate specific antigen greater than 0.1 ng/ml on 2 consecutive tests. Cox regression models were constructed to evaluate predictors of biochemical recurrence.


RESULTS
Of 1,398 consecutive patients who underwent robotic prostatectomy positive margins were present in 243 (17%) (11% of pathological T2 and 41% of T3). Preoperative prostate specific antigen, pathological stage, Gleason score, margin status, and margin length as a continuous and categorical variable (less than 1, 1 to 3, more than 3 mm) were independent predictors of biochemical recurrence. Patients with negative margins and those with a positive margin less than 1 mm had similar rates of biochemical recurrence (log rank test p = 0.18). Surgical margin location was not independently associated with biochemical recurrence.


CONCLUSIONS
Margin status and length are independent predictors of biochemical recurrence following robotic radical prostatectomy. Although longer followup and validation studies are necessary for confirmation, patients with a positive margin less than 1 mm appear to have similar recurrence rates as those with negative margins.
Shikanov
Sergey
S
University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA.
Song
Jie
J
Royce
Cassandra
C
Al-Ahmadie
Hikmat
H
Zorn
Kevin
K
Steinberg
Gary
G
Zagaja
Gregory
G
Shalhav
Arieh
A
Eggener
Scott
S
D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001707:Biopsy, Needle; D015331:Cohort Studies; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011336:Probability; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D011446:Prospective Studies; D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen / Q000097:blood*; D011468:Prostatectomy / Q000379:methods*; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery*; D012086:Reoperation; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012371:Robotics / Q000379:methods; D015996:Survival Rate; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen