title: Extensive retraction artefact predicts biochemical recurrence-free survival in prostatic carcinoma.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine whether the presence and extent of peritumoral retraction artefact could be used to predict biochemical recurrence-free survival in prostatic carcinoma.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The study included 162 consecutive patients treated by radical retropubic prostatectomy and bilateral lymphadenectomy for clinically localized prostatic carcinoma. A variable degree of retraction artefact was present in all 162 analysed tumours. The extent of retraction artefact in prostatic carcinomas ranged from 5% to 55% with a median value of 15% (interquartile range 10-25%). We found no correlation between the extent of retraction artefact in the tumours and patient's age (P=0.608), preoperative (P=0.362) and postoperative (P=0.279) Gleason score or lymph node metastases (P=0.084). In contrast, the extent of retraction artefact correlated with high preoperative prostate-specific antigen (P<0.001), short follow-up time (P<0.001), seminal vesicle invasion and/or extracapsular extension of the tumour (T3 stage tumours) (P<0.001) and positive surgical margins (P<0.001). Furthermore, extensive retraction artefact was associated with poor biochemical recurrence-free survival in both univariate (P<0.001) and multivariate analyses (P=0.013).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The presence of extensive retraction artefact in prostatic carcinoma correlates with tumour characteristics signifying aggressive behaviour and indicates poor biochemical recurrence-free survival.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Sestre milosrdnice University Hospital, Zagreb, Croatia. dtomas@kbsm.hr
authors.forename: Davor
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Tomas
authors.forename: Borislav
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Spajić
authors.forename: Milan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Milošević
authors.forename: Alma
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Demirović
authors.forename: Zlatko
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Marušić
authors.forename: Božo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Krušlin
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016477:Artifacts; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011467:Prostate / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen / Q000378:metabolism; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery
chemical_list: D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen