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Updated: Jun 30, 2026
Retzius-Sparing Robot-Assisted Radical Prostatectomy
Published on: May 19, 2022
PCA3 score before radical prostatectomy predicts extracapsular extension and tumor volume
Eric J Whitman1, Jack Groskopf, Amina Ali
1Urology Service, Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington, DC 20307, USA.
Purpose:
PCA3 is a prostate specific, nonprotein coding RNA that is over expressed in prostate cancer. Recent studies showed the diagnostic potential of a urine based PCA3 for predicting biopsy outcome. We assessed the relationship between urine PCA3 and pathological features in whole mount radical prostatectomy specimens.
Materials And Methods:
Post-digital rectal examination urine specimens were obtained from 72 men with prostate cancer before radical prostatectomy. PCA3 and PSA mRNA were measured. The ratio of PCA3 to PSA mRNA was recorded as a PCA3 score and correlated with data on each prostate specimen.
Results:
Patients with extracapsular extension had a significantly higher median PCA3 score than patients without extracapsular extension (48.8 vs 18.7, p = 0.02). PCA3 score significantly correlated with total tumor volume (r = 0.38, p <0.01). On multivariate analysis PCA3 score was an independent predictor of extracapsular extension (p = 0.01) and total tumor volume less than 0.5 cc (p = 0.04). At a cutoff PCA3 score of 47 extracapsular extension was predicted with 94% specificity and an 80% positive predictive value. When combined with serum PSA and biopsy Gleason score, the ROC AUC for predicting extracapsular extension was 0.90.
Conclusions:
PCA3 detected in the post-digital rectal examination urine of patients with prostate cancer correlated with pathological findings. Therefore, it could provide prognostic information. To our knowledge this is the first report of a molecular urine assay that predicts extracapsular extension.
