title: Impact of positive surgical margins on oncological outcome following laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (LRP): long-term results.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The impact of positive surgical margins (PSM) on biochemical recurrence (BCR) has been heavily debated in laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (LRP). The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of PSM on BCR following LRP in patients with extended follow-up.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective chart review of 1,845 patients who underwent LRP from 1999 to 2007. Predictors of PSM and BCR were identified utilizing univariate and multivariable logistic and Cox regression analyses, respectively.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Five hundred and thirty-seven patients (29.1%) had a PSM. Median postoperative follow-up was 56 months. 10-year BCR-free survival was 59.2 and 82.9% for patients with and without PSM, respectively (p < 0.0001). Clinical stage T2 (OR 1.66; CI 1.23-2.25; p = 0.001), a biopsy Gleason sum > 7 (OR 1.84; CI 1.06-3.18; p = 0.031) and preoperative prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels of 10-20 ng/mL (OR 1.58; CI 1.12-2.23; p = 0.010) and >20 ng/mL (OR 6.82; CI 3.51-13.27; p < 0.0001) were independent predictors of PSM. Prostate size was inversely associated with PSM (OR 0.99; CI 0.98-1.00; p = 0.002). On multivariable analysis, LRP Gleason score of 7 (HR 2.45; CI 1.67-3.40; p < 0.0001) and >7 (HR 4.76; CI 3.15-7.19; p < 0.0001), PSM (HR 1.49; CI 1.14-2.00; p = 0.003), advanced pathological stages (p < 0.001), and PSA 10-20 ng/mL (HR 1.46; CI 1.13-1.89; p = 0.004) were independent predictors of BCR.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We demonstrated the independent predictive value of PSM for BCR in our LRP cohort with extended follow-up. Our results could potentially be transferred to robotic RP, in which long-term follow-up is lacking.
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Charité University Medicine Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Jonas
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Busch
authors.forename: Carsten
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Stephan
authors.forename: Annett
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Klutzny
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hinz
authors.forename: Carsten
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kempkensteffen
authors.forename: Ergin
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kilic
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lein
authors.forename: Steffen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Weikert
authors.forename: Kurt
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.forename: Ahmed
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Magheli
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015331:Cohort Studies; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D006801:Humans; D010535:Laparoscopy / Q000379:methods; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000517:prevention & control*; D018365:Neoplasm, Residual; D011379:Prognosis; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D011468:Prostatectomy / Q000379:methods; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D012189:Retrospective Studies