Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 19, 2026
Pre-clinical Orthotopic Murine Model of Human Prostate Cancer
Published on: August 29, 2016
Biological determinants of cancer progression in men with prostate cancer
T A Stamey1, J E McNeal, C M Yemoto
1Department of Urology, School of Medicine, Stanford University, Calif, USA. tstamey@leland.stanford.edu
Context:
The recent increase in ability to diagnose prostatic adenocarcinoma has created a dilemma for treatment decisions.
Objective:
To determine whether prostate cancer progression is associated with a modified version of the Gleason grading system together with selected morphologic and clinical variables.
Design:
Retrospective analysis of a cohort of patients with peripheral zone prostate cancers who underwent surgery between August 1983 and July 1992.
Setting:
University hospital.
Patients:
Radical prostatectomy specimens from 379 men treated only by surgical excision were prospectively studied for 8 morphologic variables using previously standardized techniques. Variables were percentage of each cancer occupied by Gleason grade 4/5 (% Gleason grade 4/5, the Stanford modified Gleason scale), cancer volume, vascular invasion, lymph node involvement, seminal vesicle invasion, capsular penetration, positive surgical margin, prostate weight, and preoperative prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level.
Main Outcome Measure:
Biochemical progression of prostate cancer as indicated by serum PSA level of 0.07 ng/mL and increasing.
Results:
Cancer grade expressed as % Gleason grade 4/5 and cancer volume were highly predictive of disease progression. In a Cox proportional hazards model that included % Gleason grade 4/5, the traditional Gleason score was not an independent predictor of treatment failure. Positive lymph node findings and intraprostatic vascular invasion were the only other variables that remained significant at the .01 level.
Conclusion:
The % Gleason grade 4/5, cancer volume, positive lymph node findings, and intraprostatic vascular invasion were independently associated with prostate cancer progression, defined by an increasing PSA level. Techniques to accurately measure cancer volume and % Gleason grade 4/5 are needed to better predict which patient will experience cancer progression. The commonly accepted predictors of progression-capsular penetration and positive surgical margins-were not independently predictive of failure after radical prostatectomy.
More Related Videos
07:25A Bioluminescent and Fluorescent Orthotopic Syngeneic Murine Model of Androgen-dependent and Castration-resistant Prostate Cancer
Published on: March 6, 2018
06:46Competing-Risk Nomogram for Predicting Cancer-Specific Survival in Multiple Primary Colorectal Cancer Patients after Surgery
Published on: September 27, 2024
Related Concept Videos
02:07Tumor Progression
Colon cancer is one of the best-documented examples of tumor progression. Early mutation in the APC gene in colon cells causes a small growth on the colon wall called a polyp. With time, this polyp grows into a benign, pre-cancerous tumor. Further...
02:53Adaptive Mechanisms in Cancer Cells
Some of the advantages that cancer cells have on normal cells include - enhanced ability to divide without terminally differentiating, induce new blood vessel formation,...
02:59Cancer Prevention
Some...
02:07Tumor Progression
Colon cancer is one of the best-documented examples of tumor progression. Early mutation in the APC gene in colon cells causes a small growth on the colon wall called a polyp. With time, this polyp grows into a benign, pre-cancerous tumor. Further...
01:20Disorders of the Male Reproductive System
Prostate disorders are another major concern. These conditions can impair urinary flow due to the prostate's location around the urethra. Symptoms...
01:21Cancer Survival Analysis