The significance of erythrocyte sedimentation rate as a prognostic factor for patients with prostate cancer: Gunma Urological Oncology Study Group investigation.

The Gunma Urological Oncology Study Group has performed a multivariate statistical analysis of prognostic factors based on 353 patients with prostate cancer diagnosed between 1974 and 1984. This paper discusses the prognostic significance of erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) in these patients with prostate cancer. Based on three ranges (less than 20, greater than 20- less than 50, greater than 50 mm/h) of ESR, a significant difference of survival rates among the patients was found by means of univariate analysis. ESR apparently includes components which represent anemia or infection. Hemoglobin, frequently used as a prognostic factor, was compared with ESR by means of multivariate analysis, and ESR was found to be a more useful prognostic factor than hemoglobin. Moreover ESR showed the highest partial coefficient value among the items studied (clinical stage, pathological differentiation, age, acid phosphatase, gait disturbance). It seems that ESR includes not only anemia and infection components but also provides a clue to the degree of bone metastasis or the degree of prostate cancer progression.