Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 8, 2026
05:19
A New Technique for Treating Low-risk Prostate Cancer—Super Active Surveillance
Published on: November 7, 2025
Prediction of prostate-specific antigen recurrence in men with long-term follow-up postprostatectomy using
Robert W Veltri1, M Craig Miller, Sumit Isharwal
1James Buchanan Brady Urological Institute, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA. rveltri1@jhmi.edu
Summary
Quantitative nuclear grade (QNG) signatures more accurately predict prostate-specific antigen (PSA) recurrence in prostate cancer patients than routine pathology alone. Combining QNG with pathology improves prognostic value for surgical outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Urology
- Pathology
- Oncology
Background:
- Nuclear morphometric signatures (NMDs) use nuclear size, shape, DNA content, and chromatin texture.
- Quantitative nuclear grade (QNG) is a patient-specific signature derived from NMDs.
- This study evaluates QNG for predicting biochemical recurrence-free survival in prostate cancer.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the predictive accuracy of QNG alone and combined with routine pathology for prostate-specific antigen (PSA) recurrence.
- To compare the prognostic value of QNG versus traditional pathologic features.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a tissue microarray from 112 radical prostatectomy cases with long-term follow-up.
- Calculated NMDs and QNG using the AutoCyte system on Feulgen DNA-stained nuclei.
- Employed multivariate logistic regression and Kaplan-Meier analysis for prediction modeling.
Main Results:
- A QNG signature achieved an AUC-ROC of 80% for PSA recurrence prediction.
- Routine pathology (stage, Gleason score) yielded an AUC-ROC of 67%.
- Combining QNG with pathology improved the AUC-ROC to 81% with enhanced sensitivity and specificity.
Conclusions:
- QNG signatures offer superior prediction of PSA recurrence compared to routine pathology alone.
- Integrating morphometry signatures with pathology and biomarkers can enhance prognostic accuracy.
- Improved prognostic information at surgery can guide treatment decisions for prostate cancer.
