[Therapeutic options for patients with localized prostatic carcinoma: our experience with 454 patients]

To evaluate the influence of different therapeutic options on progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS) and specific survival (SS) in a cohort of 454 patients with localized prostatic carcinoma, taking into account different prognostic factors, and to compare our results to those reported in the world literature.

Between 1983 and 2000 we have diagnosed 706 new cases of prostatic carcinoma and 454 were clinically localized tumors. The different therapeutic options employed in our series of patients have been: follow-up (FU) (103 patients); radical prostatectomy (RP) (108 patients); radiotherapy without hormonal blockade (RT) (148 patients); and hormonal blockade (HB) (95 patients). We have determined the PFS, the OS and the SS for each group of patients and compared them in patients with different prognostic factors at the time of diagnosis, including age, PSA levels, Gleason's grading and TNM staging. We have also analysed the influence of the tumor progression on the OS. The mean follow-up time has been 5.6 years (range: 0.1-19.2; median: 5.2).

For PFS: the disease progressed in 145 patients (32%) and the PFS at 5 and 10 years has been 77% and 67% for FU; 61% and 50% for RP; 63% and 25% for RT; and 73% and 67% for HB, respectively. The differences between RT and RP were not statistically significant. For the subgroup of patients with PSA levels <10 and Gleason <8 the differences between FU, RP and RT did not reach statistical significance. For OS: 126 patients of our series died (28%) and the OS at 5 and 10 years has been 80% and 61% for FU; 90% and 76% for RP; 85% and 67% for RT; and 64% and 32% for HB, respectively. We have found no significant differences between FU, RP and RT. For SS: 31 patients of our series died of disease (6.8%). The SS at 5 and 10 years has been 100% and 94% for FU; 98% and 98% for RP; 97% and 88% for RT; and 83% and 77% for HB, respectively. We have found no significant differences in the OS between patients with disease progression and without disease progression treated with FU, RP and RT.

Determination of PSA levels has allowed diagnosis of prostatic carcinomas in early stages of disease; however, our results and those reported in the literature cannot define which is the best therapeutic option in these patients. We should offer the patients individualized information both in the phase of early diagnosis and of therapeutic decisions.