[PSA and hormone-refractory period in prostatic cancer]

Study of the characteristics of the hormone-refractory period in 32 patients with disseminated prostate cancer who had achieved a complete response to total androgen suppression, appreciating in all of them a subclinical or asymptomatic stage and a clinical or symptomatic one. The subclinical stage was characterized by raised PSA levels and ranged between 3-35 months; at 12 months 59% of patients had advanced to the symptomatic stage, while at 24 months this percentage is 84%. The clinical stage extends from appearance of symptoms to the patient's death, ranging from 3 to 32 months; at 12 months 41% has died; and 91% at 2 years.