Radical prostatectomy with bladder neck preservation: impact of a positive margin

Bladder neck preservation during radical prostatectomy has been correlated with improved continence. However, the hazard of a positive margin at this specific site has discouraged many urologists. We evaluated if preservation of the bladder neck at the time of radical prostatectomy jeopardizes surgical cancer control with consequent deleterious outcomes.

675 consecutive patients underwent radical prostatectomy (RP) by a single surgeon (J.E.P.) at Wayne State University during the 1990s decade. The bladder neck was preserved. Margin-positivity was categorized by location and number. Preoperative, pathological and disease status data was prospectively collected into the Karmanos Cancer Institute multidisciplinary prostate cancer database.

Analysis was performed on 555 patients who had RP as monotherapy. Positive margins were found in 178 (32%) of these patients. Correlation between specimen Gleason score, prostatic specific antigen (PSA) and margin status, was encountered (p=0.001). Apical and bladder neck margin-positivity was detected in 104/555 (19%) and 13/555 (2%), respectively. Of those specimens with a positive margin at the bladder neck eight had Gleason score > or =7, three had seminal vesicle invasion and two nodal disease. Only two patients had a positive bladder neck margin as the sole adverse pathological feature. Significant independent predictors of survival included the Gleason score, PSA, pathological stage and presence of positive margins in more than one location.

Anatomical preservation of the bladder neck does not increase the percentage of positive margins at this anatomical location and does not compromise disease-free survival.