Is PSA Still the Best Predictor for Biochemical Recurrence after Radical Prostatectomy in High-Risk Prostate Cancer?

Patients with high-risk prostate cancer (PCa) experience heterogeneous oncological outcomes. In this study, we assessed the patients who underwent an RP procedure because of high-risk prostate cancer in subgroups formed according to D'Amico criteria and analyzed the effects of these criteria on biochemical recurrence (BCR) after RP.

We retrospectively identified high-risk non-metastatic PCa patients who underwent RP between 2006 and 2020 in our hospital. Groups were formed as follows: group 1 consisted of those with an ISUP grade 4 - 5 biopsy, group 2 consisted of those with a clinical stage T2c, group 3 consisted of those with a tPSA level ≥ 20 ng/ml, and group 4 consisted of those with locally advanced disease. Survival analyses were made by Kaplan-Meier test and Log Rank test. A P value <0.05 was accepted as statistically significant.

Of all patients, 61.8% were cured by only RP and 38.2% had recurrences. Rates of BCR were significantly different among groups (P = 0.003). In group 1, group 2, group 3, and group 4, BCR rates were 30.8%, 13%, 40.8%, and 70.6%, respectively. Mean BCR-free survival was 82.47 ± 11.64 months. In group 2, BCR-free survival was higher than that in group 3 and group 4 (P1 = 0.020 and P2 = 0.001) and in group 1, BCR-free survival was higher than that in group 4 (P = 0.016). There was no significant difference between group 3 and 4 (P > 0.05).

Despite the developments in the imaging technology, an elevated tPSA level remains to be an important predictor for BCR-free survival.