title: Gleason Grading, Biochemical Failure, and Prostate Cancer-Specific Death.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the relationship between the recently defined Gleason grade groups and prostate cancer-specific mortality.
  
  
  METHODS
  If the probability of prostate cancer-specific death is symbolized as P(PSD), the probability of biochemical failure is symbolized as P(BF), and the probability of prostate cancer-specific death after biochemical failure is symbolized as P(PSD | BF), then the rules of probability provide a way to estimate P(PSD) as P(PSD) = P(PSD | BF) * P(BF) Using this model and data from the literature for P(PSD | BF) and P(BF), I estimate here values of P(PSD) for the five newly described Gleason grade groups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The expected probability of prostate cancer- specific death is closely related to the new Gleason grade groups and ranges from a low of 0.014 for grade group 1 to a high of 0.15 for grade group 5.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although using the original study patient population may require years of additional follow-up to examine prostate cancer-specific mortality, the evidence available now indicates that these new Gleason grade groups relate to prostate cancer-specific mortality.
authors.affiliation: From the VA and Duke University Medical Centers, Durham, NC.
authors.forename: Robin T
authors.initials: RT
authors.lastname: Vollmer
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015233:Models, Statistical; D060787:Neoplasm Grading; D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen / Q000097:blood; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology*
chemical_list: D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen
keywords: Biochemical failure; Gleason grading; PSA; Prostate cancer; Prostate cancer–specific mortality