Frequency of Gleason score 7 to 10 in 5100 elderly prostate cancer patients

Men 70 to 80 years of age are known to have an increased incidence of high-grade (Gleason sum score [GSS] 7-10) prostate cancer. We determined the frequency of highgrade prostate cancer among men 70 to 80 years old in our practice. We retrospectively reviewed our 5100 prostate cancer patients who are 70 to 80 years old and who opted for radiation therapy (external radiation, brachytherapy, or combination). Data were gathered on race, prostate-specific antigen value, digital rectal examination (DRE) results, and GSS. Patients were further subdivided by age in two categories, those 70 to 75 years and 76 to 80 years, and also by time period: 2006-2010 and 2011-2015. In patients 70 to 75 years, 1426 patients had a GSS of 6 (41%) and 2042 patients had a GSS of 7 to 10 (59%). In patients 76 to 80 years old, 553 had a GSS of 6 (34%) and 1079 had a GSS of 7 to 10 (66%). In 1432 patients with an abnormal DRE result, the GSS was 6 in 376 (26%) and GSS was 7 to 10 in 1059 (74%). Based on analysis of 5100 prostate cancer patients in our practice, we determined that 61% of patients age 70 to 80 have a high-grade prostate cancer, as do 59% of patients age 70 to 75 years, and 66% of patients between age 76 and 80 years. Because biopsy underestimates the grade in GSS 6 patients by 50%, the actual frequency is approximately 80%. In patients with prostate cancer who had an abnormal DRE result, 74% had a GSS of 7 to 10-approximately 85% when accounting for biopsy under-grading.