title: The surgical approach can be determined from the pathological specimen obtained after open or robot-assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the surgical approach using the pathological specimen obtained after open radical prostatectomy (ORP) or robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RALRP).
  
  
  METHODS
  A prospective study has been performed in patients who underwent either ORP or RALRP for localized prostate cancer. Two dedicated uro-pathologists, blinded to the surgeons and the operating rooms' schedules, analyzed the pathological specimens according to the Stanford protocol. Both pathologists also determined the surgical approach used based on several criteria pertaining to the pathological specimen.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Overall, 117 patients with a median age of 63 years were included. The main characteristics (i.e., Gleason score, pTNM stage, preoperative PSA and margin) were comparable in both groups (p > 0.05). Pathologists 1 and 2 were able to significantly assess the surgical procedure from the pathological specimen provided (in 76.1 and 69.2 % of cases, respectively). Pathologist 1 had a better performance than pathologist 2 (AUC 0.75, IC 95 % [0.67-0.83] vs. AUC = 0.68 IC 95 % [0.59-0.77]) (p = 0.017). The κ index of the inter-observer agreement was satisfactory (0.76). In a univariate analysis, the criteria linked to the pathologist's assessment were as follows: macroscopic integrity of the specimen (p = 0.04), presence of periprostatic fat (p = 0.04), width of periprostatic tissue (p < 0.001) and nerve-sparing status (p < 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It was possible to determine the surgical procedure from the analysis of the specimen obtained after a radical prostatectomy. In view of these data and from this perspective, one could infer that there are indeed oncological differences between the robotic and open approaches to radical prostatectomy.
authors.affiliation: Service d'Urologie, Hopital Pitié-Salpétrière, AP-HP, 83 Bvd Hopital, 75013, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Sarah J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Drouin
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Comperat
authors.forename: Justine
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Varinot
authors.forename: Christophe
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Vaessen
authors.forename: Marc-Olivier
authors.initials: MO
authors.lastname: Bitker
authors.forename: Emmanuel
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Chartier-Kastler
authors.forename: Pierre
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mozer
authors.forename: Shahrokh F
authors.initials: SF
authors.lastname: Shariat
authors.forename: Olivier
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Cussenot
authors.forename: Morgan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rouprêt
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D006801:Humans; D010535:Laparoscopy / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011467:Prostate / Q000473:pathology*; D011468:Prostatectomy / Q000379:methods*; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D012371:Robotics / Q000379:methods; D013048:Specimen Handling / Q000379:methods*