[Radical prostatectomy in cancer of the prostate. Preliminary adjuvant therapy and previous considerations]

We report our early results in the treatment of nonmetastatic prostate cancer (stages A, B, C) by radical surgery. All but two patients classified as stage A1 received adjuvant treatment with hormone blockade using LH-RH analogues and an antiandrogen for a period of two to six months. A favorable local response was observed in almost all patients. Adjuvant therapy achieved reduction of prostate size and most of the cases could be staged down from the initial clinical staging to fall within the indication of radical surgery, including stage C2 tumors reclassified as local tumor stage C1 or lower. Staging lymphadenectomy prior to radical prostatectomy revealed multiple lymph node involvement in 3 patients who were consequently not submitted to radical surgery. In the remaining 14 cases, definitive postsurgical staging revealed minimum invasion of the capsule without seminal vesicle involvement (stage C1) in only two cases with A2 and B2 tumor in the initial staging. There were no operative deaths and morbidity was scant. Some modifications aimed at enhancing exposure of the surgical field and thereby reducing complications are described. Although a longer patient follow-up is warranted, to date all patients are alive and no local recurrence or distant metastases have been observed.