[Analysis of a series of radical prostatectomies]

Radical prostatectomy (RP) is an elective therapeutical procedure for localized prostate cancer. The paper describes the critical analysis of our 10-year series.

A total of 216 RP have been performed between June 1986 and December 1996 (60 of them in the last year); with the purpose of securing a minimum follow-up of 4 months, the 204 procedures performed up to October 1996 were studied. Mean age was 64.9 years and PSA median 10.8 ng/ml. Intraglandular clinical stage was found in 192 cases versus 12 cases extraglandular. Up to the end of 1993 Walsh's technique with erectors' preservation was being used although the poor results obtained with regard to potency as well as the existence of positive borders have compelled us to perform the standard extracapsular technique since beginning of 1994.

Mean follow-up in our series has been 29.62 months. Post-operative complications reached 29.9%, anastomosis fistula (21 cases) among the early ones and anastomosis stenosis (16 cases) among the late ones. 82.04% patients have total continence or minimal incontinence, the percentage of obstruction being 3.58%. Total impotence is estimated at 92.77%. One patient (0.49%) died in the immediate post-operative. Understaging was observed in 36.7%. 84 patients had extracapsular disease. Our percentage of positive surgical borders is of around 43.13%. Progression has been seen in 47 of 204 patients (23.03%): 8 local relapses, 12 metastasis, 3 with both conditions and 24 biological progression. Progression has been related to pathological stage, pre-operative PSA and Gleason's sum of the specimen. Difference was statistically significant. Overall survival at 1 and 5 years is 99.2% and 95.5% respectively while tumour specific survival is 97.8% and 75.8% at 1 and 5 years.

RP is a surgery with minimal mortality but noticeable morbidity (incontinence 14.35%; impotence 92.77%; other complications from surgical technique 29.9%). Our clinical understaging is of around 36.7%. Progression is related to the specimen's pathological stage, and pre-operative PSA and Gleason. Our overall survival at 1 and 5 years is 99.2% and 95.5% respectively while tumour specific survival is 97.8% and 75.8%.