Ki67 and the apparent diffusion coefficient in postoperative prostate cancer with endocrine therapy

Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is a critical part of prostate cancer (PCa) screening, diagnosis, staging, and prognosis. However, elevated PSA levels can also be caused by several external factors. To improve the specificity and sensitivity of PSA in clinical practice, we explored whether markers or parameters may be used as prognostic targets for PCa by long-term follow-up.

A total of 121 PCa patients who underwent laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (LRP) were included in our study, all of whom underwent imaging and preoperative pathological diagnosis. Endocrine therapy has long been applied to treat postoperative patients. The prognosis of enrolled patients was followed, and statistics were collected. Spearman's correlation analysis was applied to examine the relationship and clinical parameters. Kaplan-Meier analysis was used to process the clinical variables of PCa patients. Cox proportional hazards regression analysis was applied to examine univariate and multivariate variables.

The Gleason score (GS), PSA, clinical stage, nerve infiltration, organ confinement, Ki67 and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) were significantly associated with prognosis (all P < 0.05). The GS, PSA, clinical stage, organ confined, Ki67, nerve infiltration and ADC were included in the multivariate analysis (all P < 0.05). Ultimately, Ki67 and the ADC were found to provide meaningful predictive information (both P < 0.05).

Ki67 and the ADC may be clinically and analytically valid prognostic biomarkers and imaging parameters in PCa. They may be useful for predicting the prognosis and risk of PCa patients undergoing postoperative routine endocrine therapy.