Efficacy of radical prostatectomy for stage A2 carcinoma of the prostate

Optimal management of men with diffuse incidental prostatic cancer (Stage A2) is an unresolved issue. Current forms of therapy include radical prostatectomy, external beam radiation therapy, and no treatment. Long-term results with curative therapy have been unreported because of the relatively recent substaging of Stage A into incidental and diffuse disease. The results of radical prostatectomy in 25 patients with Stage A2 prostatic cancer were reviewed. Incontinence was the most serious complication and occurred in four patients (16%). Pathologically, 24 patients (96%) had residual carcinoma present in the radical prostatectomy specimen. In 22 men (88%) the tumor was entirely confined to the prostate. Two patients (8%) demonstrated seminal vesicle invasion, and one (4%) had capsular penetration. In follow-up metastatic disease has developed in one patient, and another died without evidence of cancer. The remaining patients are alive without evidence of disease. Since 88% of men with Stage A2 disease have their tumor entirely confined to the prostate, radical prostatectomy offers an excellent chance of long-term cure, as in Stage B prostatic cancer.