Pathological findings of radical prostatectomy specimens in Japanese men diagnosed on single core positive prostate biopsy in eight with a Gleason score less than 4.

BACKGROUND

The objective of the present study was to analyze the pathological findings of radical prostatectomy specimens diagnosed on single core positive prostate biopsy in eight systematic transrectal ultrasonography (TRUS)-guided biopsies with a Gleason score </= 4.

METHODS

Between January 1993 and March 2001, 975 patients underwent TRUS-guided prostate biopsy, and 32 patients were diagnosed as having prostate cancer based only on one positive core with a Gleason score </= 4. In this study, 14 of the 32 patients who underwent radical prostatectomy without any neoadjuvant therapies were enrolled, and the pathological findings of their radical prostatectomy specimens were evaluated.

RESULTS

The clinical stage of the 14 patients was T1c in 10 and T2 in four. Cancer was detected in the prostate apex in seven patients, the middle in two, the base of the peripheral zone (PZ) in three, the lateral horn of the PZ in one and the transitional zone (TZ) one. Pathological stage of the 14 patients was pT2a in four, pT2b in six, pT3a in three and pT3b one. Gleason score of the radical prostatectomy specimens in 11 patients was also </= 4. Of the 10 patients diagnosed with cT1c, extraprostatic disease was found in only one radical prostatectomy specimen. All three patients whose cancer was detected from the base of the PZ showed pT3 disease. During the median follow-up period of 47.5 months, all patients were alive with no evidence of disease.

CONCLUSION

The prognosis of patients who were diagnosed with one core positive prostate biopsy with a Gleason score </= 4 is generally favorable; however, advanced disease tended to be observed in patients who were diagnosed with cT2a and/or whose cancer was detected from the base of PZ.