Tumor volume and stage in carcinoma of the prostate detected by elevations in prostate specific antigen

• Published in: The Journal of urology Vol. 152; no. 1; p. 129
• Main Authors: Scaletscky, R, Koch, M O, Eckstein, C W, Bicknell, S L, Gray, Jr, G F, Smith, Jr, J A
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01-07-1994
• Subjects: Adenocarcinoma - diagnosis; Adenocarcinoma - pathology; Adenocarcinoma - surgery; Aged; Biomarkers, Tumor - blood; Biopsy, Needle; Humans; Male; Neoplasm Staging; Prostate - pathology; Prostate-Specific Antigen - blood; Prostatectomy; Prostatic Neoplasms - diagnosis; Prostatic Neoplasms - pathology; Prostatic Neoplasms - surgery
• ISSN: 0022-5347
• DOI: 10.1016/S0022-5347(17)32834-3

We reviewed the surgical specimen from 142 men undergoing radical prostatectomy for prostate cancer detected because of an elevation in serum prostate specific antigen alone. No patient had a palpable abnormality suggestive of cancer. One patient had no identifiable tumor in the radical prostatectomy specimen, 8 (6%) had only a few high power microscopic fields showing cancer, 40 (28%) had an estimated tumor volume of less than 1 cc and 93 (65%) had a tumor volume of greater than 1 cc. Surgical margins were positive in 37 patients (26%) and negative in 105 (73%). Most patients with cancer detected because of modest elevation in prostate specific antigen, even without palpable abnormalities, have a clinically significant tumor volume and are good candidates for radical prostatectomy.