Search

Background. To analyse the impact of radiation dose escalation and hormone treatment in prostate cancer patients according to risk groups. Material and methods. Totally 494 prostate cancer patients received external beam radiation therapy, with or without androgen deprivation, between January 1990 and December 1999. The patients were divided into three risk groups, where the low risk group (stage T1c, pretreatment prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level ≤10 ng/ml and WHO Grade 1) included 26 patients, the intermediate risk group (either stage T2, PSA 10.1-20 ng/ml or WHO Grade 2) comprised 149 patients whereas the high-risk group (either stage T3, PSA >20 ng/ml or WHO Grade 3) included 319 patients. Results. In the intermediate risk group, the 5-years bNED rate was 92%, 69% and 61% after a radiation dose of 70 Gy, 66 Gy or 64 Gy, respectively (p < 0.001). In the high-risk group, the 5-year bNED rate was 79%, 69% and 34% for the same dose levels (p < 0.001). The 5-years CSS rates were not significantly different between the dose levels in the intermediate risk group while for the high-risk group it was 93%, 92% and 80% for the three dose levels (p < 0.001). Risk group and radiation doses were independent predictors of bNED, CSS and overall survival, for bNED also hormone treatment was independent predictors. Conclusion. Radiation dose is important for the outcome in intermediate and high risk prostate cancer patients. A dose of 70 Gy should be considered the minimal dose for these patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study on uropathology focusing on prostrate cancer. Prostate cancer is cited as the most prevailing cancer among men and represents 9.7% of irremediable carcinoma. The goal of the research is to evaluate the importance of current tumor biomarkers compared with the conventional characteristics depicted in its development, advancement and subsistence. The methodology used utilized molecular strategies conducted among prostate cancer patients through radical prostatectomy.

We present the impact of systematic radiation dose escalation from 64 Gy to 66 Gy to 70 Gy on the outcome after radiation therapy (RT) alone or combined with hormonal treatment (HT) in a series of 494 consecutive localised prostate cancer patients treated during 1990–1999. Prognostic factors for prostate-specific antigen (PSA) failure, overall survival (OS) and prostate cancer specific survival (CSS) were investigated using multivariate analysis. T stage, pre-treatment PSA, grade, radiation dose and HT were found to be independent predictors of PSA failure. T stage, grade and HT were also independent predictors of both OS and CSS, while radiation dose was a significant predictor for OS and indicated a trend (p = 0.07) for CSS. A dose of 70 Gy combined with hormonal treatment improves PSA failure free survival and survival in localised prostate cancer compared with doses of 64–66 Gy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT: Purpose:: To our knowledge we introduce the ROC partial area under the curve (AUC) index as a method of evaluating the discriminative power of different prostate cancer predictors. Peripheral zone volume and peripheral zone prostate specific antigen (PSA) density are introduced as potential predictors and compared with other known predictors of prostate cancer. Materials and Methods:: During 1999, 220 consecutive patients with suspected early prostate cancer were examined using total PSA, free PSA, total prostate volume, transition zone volume and transrectal ultrasonography guided sextant biopsy of the prostate. The free-to-total PSA ratio, PSA density, transition zone PSA density, peripheral zone volume and peripheral zone PSA density were calculated. Usually total AUC is used to evaluate the discriminative power of different parameters. In this study parameters were evaluated by the ROC partial area index, which includes only the AUC in highly sensitivity parts of the ROC curve. Explorative analysis using logistic regression analysis was performed to investigate the ability of combinations of parameters to predict cancer. Results:: Of the 220 patients 75 were diagnosed with cancer. In the subgroup of 160 patients with PSA less than 10 μg/l 44 had cancer. Transition zone PSA density and PSA density had significant discriminative power in the total group, while none of the parameters were discriminative in the subgroup of patients. Conclusions:: When high sensitivity is demanded, the ROC partial area index seems to be meaningful for evaluating the discriminative power of potential predictors. In our study none of the evaluated parameters had discriminative power in patients with PSA less than 10 μg/l, while transition zone PSA density and PSA density showed discriminative power in the total group of patients. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

We report a case with an initial diagnosis of adenocarcinoma of the prostate in whom Cushing’s syndrome developed. The disease did not respond to estrogen treatment and the patient died of severe septicemia. Histopathologic examination of the autopsy specimens revealed a small cell carcinoma intermingled with a moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma in the prostate and widespread metastases of small cell carcinoma. Immunoreactivity for neuroendocrine differentiation was found only in the small cell carcinoma. Determination of different tumor markers in plasma samples showed markedly elevated levels of prostate-specific antigen as well as carcinoembryonic antigen prior to treatment, with no significant changes after treatment. The concentration of the neuroendocrine marker chromogranin A was initially within the normal range, but increased during estrogen treatment, whilst neuron-specific enolase was moderately elevated throughout the observation period.Copyright © 1999 S. Karger AG, Basel [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]