Stage T1c prostate cancer: perspectives on clinical management

Nonpalpable prostate cancer, detected on a biopsy sample and prompted by an elevated prostate-specific antigen level, has become one of the most common presentations of the disease. The clinical significance of these cancers has been debated, but pathologic examination has shown a substantial tumor volume in most patients. On the other hand, a tumor is confined within the surgical margins in some 80% of men undergoing radical prostatectomy for T1c cancers. Overall, then, most T1c prostate cancers meet the desired selection criteria for radical prostatectomy, which include a tumor of clinical significance, yet one which can be totally excised surgically.