The prognostic value of histological grading and mean nuclear volume in human prostatic cancer

Fifty-eight consecutive patients diagnosed with prostatic cancer at transurethral resection in the period 1979-1983 were classified using histological grade according to Shelley, and using an unbiased estimate of mean nuclear volume. We find that both histological grade and mean nuclear volume appear to be significantly associated with survival. In eight of nine patients still alive after 89-130 months mean nuclear volume at diagnosis was in normal range and the histological grade showed a highly differentiated cancer in eight of the nine cases. These findings suggest highly differentiated cancer and normal range of mean nuclear volume may be important for long-term survival. In patients with advanced disease requiring endocrine treatment both histological grading and mean nuclear volume estimates failed to show any prognostic properties with regards to time to progression and time of survival. In patients not subjected to endocrine treatment histologic grade, but not mean nuclear volume, was found to be significantly associated with survival. Subtle changes in disease progression may be diagnosed early by repeated biopsies due to the accuracy and high reproducibility of mean nuclear volume measurements; however, a single estimate of mean nuclear volume has not been shown to offer advantage over histological grade with respect to prognostic properties.