Is lymphovascular invasion a powerful predictor for biochemical recurrence in pT3 N0 prostate cancer? Results from the K-CaP database

Association of Lymphovascular Invasion with Biochemical Recurrence and Adverse Pathological Characteristics of Prostate Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Background and objective

Lymphovascular invasion (LVI) is a significant histopathological feature in prostate cancer (PCa) associated with higher risk of biochemical recurrence (BCR) and other adverse outcomes. Our aim was to assess the association of LVI found in radical prostatectomy (RP) specimens with BCR and adverse clinicopathological findings.

Methods

A systematic literature search was conducted using the PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science databases in July 2023, with an additional search in May 2024. We included 94 prospective and retrospective studies reporting on LVI in RP specimens and its association with the specified outcomes.

Key findings and limitations

Meta-analyses revealed that LVI is significantly associated with higher BCR risk (hazard ratio 1.96, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.73-2.21), higher pathological tumour stage (odds ratio [OR] 5.77; 95% CI 3.96-8.40), higher Gleason score (OR 5.19, 95% CI 4.12-6.54), lymph node metastasis (OR 11.52, 95% CI 7.65-17.34), distant metastasis (OR 9.10, 95% CI 5.46-15.17), positive surgical margins (OR 2.38, 95% CI 1.83-3.09), extraprostatic extension (OR 5.01, 95% CI 3.11-8.06), seminal vesicle invasion (OR 7.50, 95% CI 3.47-16.23), and perineural invasion (OR 133.71, 95% CI 65.93-271.15). Major limitations of this study include high heterogeneity of the data and the reliance on nonrandomised studies.

Conclusions and clinical implications

Our findings reveal that LVI is associated with nearly twofold higher risk of BCR, highlighting its potential role as a critical prognostic marker.

Patient summary

We analysed data from multiple studies to understand the impact of the spread of prostate cancer into the lymph or blood vessels, called lymphovascular invasion (LVI). We found that LVI is linked to a higher risk of cancer recurrence after surgery and other negative outcomes. Our findings highlight the importance of considering LVI in treatment decisions for better management of prostate cancer.

The clinical meaning of lymphovascular invasion: preoperative predictors and postoperative implications in prostate cancer - a retrospective study

Introduction

Lymphovascular invasion (LVI) is a pivotal histopathological parameter in prostate cancer (PCa), holding significant prognostic implications. Our study pursued a dual objective: firstly, to identify preoperative factors associated with LVI, aiming to unveil markers facilitating the recognition of patients prone to LVI during postoperative examination; and secondly, to assess postoperative outcomes correlated with LVI.

Methods

We retrospectively analyzed 861 nonmetastatic PCa patients who underwent radical prostatectomy (RP), investigating preoperative factors and postoperative outcomes. Surgical specimens were processed following established guidelines. Statistical analyses utilized non-parametric tests to assess the association between LVI and both pre- and postoperative factors. Furthermore, logistic regression analyses were utilized to develop models aimed at identifying the most significant predictors of LVI and pN1 status, respectively.

Results

Numerous preoperative factors exhibited significant correlations with LVI, offering valuable clinical insights. Logistic regression identified magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-based clinical tumor stage (cT) 3-4, biopsy Gleason Grading Group (GGG) 3-5, preoperative prostate specific antigen (PSA) ≥20 and percentage of positive biopsy cores (PPBC) ≥50% as the strongest preoperative predictors of LVI. Additionally, the study uncovered an association between LVI and postoperative outcomes, including postoperative PSA (p value <0.001), extracapsular extension (ECE) (<0.001), positive surgical margins (PSM) (<0.001), perineural invasion (PNI) (<0.001), pathological tumor stage (pT) (<0.001), pathological lymph node status (pN) (<0.001), postoperative GGG (<0.001), and operative time (0.023). Notably, the study revealed a novel and substantial association between LVI and an increased number of positive lymph nodes in pN+ patients in the univariate analysis (<0.001). Furthermore, we have found an association between LVI and pN1 status in the logistic regression analysis (odds ratio [OR] = 23.905; p <0.001).

Conclusion

Our findings underscore the pivotal role of LVI in influencing the prognosis of prostate cancer (PCa). The study acknowledges the challenges associated with preoperative LVI assessment and emphasizes the need for future research to unravel the factors associated with this histopathological finding. Significantly, our research stands out as the first, to the best of our knowledge, to reveal the association between LVI and the number of positive lymph nodes in pN+ patients.

Preoperative Factors for Lymphovascular Invasion in Prostate Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Lymphovascular invasion (LVI) is one of the most important prognostic factors in prostate cancer (PCa) and is correlated with worse survival rates, biochemical recurrence (BCR), and lymph node metastasis (LNM). The ability to predict LVI preoperatively in PCa may be useful for proposing variations in the diagnosis and management strategies. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to identify preoperative clinicopathological factors that correlate with LVI in final histopathological specimens in PCa patients. Systematic literature searches of PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science were performed up to 31 January 2023. A total of thirty-nine studies including 389,918 patients were included, most of which were retrospective and single-center. PSA level, clinical T stage, and biopsy Gleason score were significantly correlated with LVI in PCa specimens. Meta-analyses revealed that these factors were the strongest predictors of LVI in PCa patients. Prostate volume, BMI, and age were not significant predictors of LVI. A multitude of preoperative factors correlate with LVI in final histopathology. Meta-analyses confirmed correlation of LVI in final histopathology with higher preoperative PSA, clinical T stage, and biopsy Gleason score. This study implies advancements in risk stratification and enhanced clinical decision-making, and it underscores the importance of future research dedicated to validation and exploration of contemporary risk factors in PCa.

Comparative analysis of GOLPH3 expression in lymph node-positive prostate cancer: immunohistochemistry staining patterns and clinical significance

Introduction

Prostate cancer (PCa) is the second most commonly diagnosed cancer in men worldwide. Lymph node metastasis is a poor prognostic factor for PCa. Previous studies have found that Golgi phosphoprotein 3 (GOLPH3) is overexpressed in various cancers, including PCa. We examined GOLPH3 expression in PCa cells from primary tumor and, as the first, also in metastatic lymph nodes to assess its potential as a new risk factor for PCa progression.

Methods

The study included 78 patients diagnosed with lymph node-positive PCa confirmed in the postoperative material. All the patients underwent radical prostatectomy (RP) with extended lymphadenectomy. The clinical data of the patients were retrospectively analyzed, and their histopathological specimens were selected for further analysis. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining was performed and the expression of GOLPH3 was assessed by an experienced uropathologist using an immunoreactive scale (IRS). A correlational analysis of the obtained data with the clinicopathological data of patients was performed.

Results

A positive IHC reaction for GOLPH3 was observed in all samples. IRS score for GOLPH3 expression was higher in the metastatic lymph nodes than in the prostate (not statistically significant; p=0.056). Several significant correlations were identified in connection with GOLPH3 expression levels in the prostate and metastatic lymph node tissues. No significant correlations were found between GOLPH3 expression and patient characteristics (e.g. BMI, EAU risk group, or preoperative PSA level), pathological features, or postoperative outcomes. However, we found that lymphovascular invasion (LVI) tended to be more common in patients with a higher percentage of GOLPH3-positive cells (p=0.02). We also found a positive association between the intensity of GOLPH3 staining in metastatic lymph nodes and the EAU classification. Finally, we found a significant negative correlation between the GOLPH3 expression and the efficacy of RP - the higher the expression of GOLPH3, the lower the efficacy of RP was (p<0.05).

Conclusion

GOLPH3 is expressed in both prostate and metastatic lymph nodes, with higher expression in metastatic lymph nodes. High GOLPH3 expression was associated with the occurrence of LVI, higher-risk group in the EAU classification, and lower efficacy of the RP, but there was no significant correlation with other pathological features or postoperative outcomes.

Bilateral Seminal Vesicle Invasion Is Not Associated with Worse Outcomes in Locally Advanced Prostate Carcinoma

Background and Objectives: Patients with seminal vesicle invasion (SVI) are a highly heterogeneous group. Prognosis can be affected by many clinical and pathological characteristics. Our aim was to study whether bilateral SVI (bi-SVI) is associated with worse oncological outcomes. Materials and Methods: This is an observational retrospective study that included 146 pT3b patients treated with radical prostatectomy (RP). We compared the results between unilateral SVI (uni-SVI) and bi-SVI. The log-rank test and Kaplan–Meier curves were used to compare biochemical recurrence-free survival (BCR), metastasis-free survival (MFS), and additional treatment-free survival. Cox proportional hazard models were used to identify predictors of BCR-free survival, MFS, and additional treatment-free survival. Results: 34.93% of patients had bi-SVI. The median follow-up was 46.84 months. No significant differences were seen between the uni-SVI and bi-SVI groups. BCR-free survival at 5 years was 33.31% and 25.65% (p = 0.44) for uni-SVI and bi-SVI. MFS at 5 years was 86.03% vs. 75.63% (p = 0.1), and additional treatment-free survival was 36.85% vs. 21.93% (p = 0.09), respectively. In the multivariate analysis, PSA was related to the development of BCR [HR 1.34 (95%CI: 1.01–1.77); p = 0.03] and metastasis [HR 1.83 (95%CI: 1.13–2.98); p = 0.02]. BCR was also influenced by lymph node infiltration [HR 2.74 (95%CI: 1.41–5.32); p = 0.003]. Additional treatment was performed more frequently in patients with positive margins [HR: 3.50 (95%CI: 1.65–7.44); p = 0.001]. Conclusions: SVI invasion is an adverse pathology feature, with a widely variable prognosis. In our study, bilateral seminal vesicle invasion did not predict worse outcomes in pT3b patients despite being associated with more undifferentiated tumors.

Counterfactual analysis of differential comorbidity risk factors in Alzheimer's disease and related dementias

Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD) is a multifactorial disease that involves several different etiologic mechanisms with various comorbidities. There is also significant heterogeneity in the prevalence of ADRD across diverse demographics groups. Association studies on such heterogeneous comorbidity risk factors are limited in their ability to determine causation. We aim to compare counterfactual treatment effects of various comorbidity in ADRD in different racial groups (African Americans and Caucasians). We used 138,026 ADRD and 1:1 matched older adults without ADRD from nationwide electronic health records, which extensively cover a large population's long medical history in breadth. We matched African Americans and Caucasians based on age, sex, and high-risk comorbidities (hypertension, diabetes, obesity, vascular disease, heart disease, and head injury) to build two comparable cohorts. We derived a Bayesian network of 100 comorbidities and selected comorbidities with potential causal effect to ADRD. We estimated the average treatment effect (ATE) of the selected comorbidities on ADRD using inverse probability of treatment weighting. Late effects of cerebrovascular disease significantly predisposed older African Americans (ATE = 0.2715) to ADRD, but not in the Caucasian counterparts; depression significantly predisposed older Caucasian counterparts (ATE = 0.1560) to ADRD, but not in the African Americans. Our extensive counterfactual analysis using a nationwide EHR discovered different comorbidities that predispose older African Americans to ADRD compared to Caucasian counterparts. Despite the noisy and incomplete nature of the real-world data, the counterfactual analysis on the comorbidity risk factors can be a valuable tool to support the risk factor exposure studies.

Impact of Lymphovascular Invasion on Overall Survival in Patients With Prostate Cancer Following Radical Prostatectomy: Stage-per-Stage Analysis

BACKGROUND

The detrimental impact of lymphovascular invasion (LVI) in prostate cancer (PCa) on biochemical recurrence has been described; the impact of LVI on overall survival (OS) remains unclear. This investigation sought to evaluate the impact of LVI on OS in patients with PCa.

METHODS

We examined men with nonmetastatic PCa treated with radical prostatectomy between 2010 and 2015. Only men with documented LVI status were included (n = 232,704). Patients were stratified according to final pathologic T stage (pT2, pT3a, and pT3b).

RESULTS

Of the 232,704 patients who met inclusion criteria, 17,758 (8%) were found to have LVI on final pathology. Overall, 174,838 (75%), 40,281 (17%), and 17,585 (8%) patients had pT2, pT3a, and pT3b disease, respectively. Median follow-up was 42.7 months (27.1-58.7). At 5 years, the OS in LVI versus non-LVI patients was 94% versus 95% in pT2 (P = .0004), 92% versus 95% in pT3a (P < .0001), and 86% versus 92% in pT3b (P < .0001). On multivariable analysis, LVI status was not an independent predictor of OS in pT2 disease (hazard ratio, 1.12; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.93-1.36; P = .2). In pT3a and pT3b disease, presence of LVI had 1.2-fold (95% CI, 1.03-1.44; P = .02) and 1.4-fold (95% CI, 1.20-1.59; P < .001) higher overall mortality than their counterparts without LVI.

CONCLUSIONS

Our report demonstrates the detrimental impact of LVI on OS in locally advanced PCa (pT3a and higher). This information may prove valuable when risk stratifying based on final pathology.

How Much Reliable Is the Current Belief on Grade Group 1 Prostate Cancer?

Objective: To evaluate the clinicopathological characteristics of grade group 1 (GG1) prostate cancer in Korean populations.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 492 consecutive radical prostatectomy specimens from our institution, which included those from 322 men with clinical GG1 and 170 with clinical GG2 tumors between years 2009 and 2018. The incidence of Gleason score (GS) upgrading, extraprostatic extension (EPE), and seminal vesicle invasion (SVI) were evaluated in patients with clinical GG1. In pathological GG1 cases, the distribution of adverse pathological features including EPE, lymphovascular invasion (LVI), perineural invasion (PNI), and biochemical recurrence (BCR) was analyzed.

Results: Altogether, 78 (24.2%) out of 322 men in the clinical GG1 group demonstrated upgrading of GS, including 19 men with pathological Gleason score 4 + 3 = 7 and 6 with ≥ pathological Gleason score 4 + 4 = 8 cases. EPE was found in 37 (11.5%) and 22 (8.9%) men in clinical GG1 and pathological GG1 group, respectively. The incidence of LVI and PNI in the pathological GG1 cases was 2.8% (n = 7) and 28.6% (n = 71), respectively. BCR was observed in 4 men in pathological GG1 T2 (n = 226) and 2 men in GG1 T3 (n = 22) group. When we compared the pathological features between pathological GG1 T3 vs. GG2 T2, there was no statistical differences in the incidence of LVI and PNI between the two groups.

Conclusions: Contrary to the current concept that GG1 is almost always clinically insignificant, it seems that GG1 still possess its respectable position as a group of cancer with aggressiveness. These findings should be kept in mind when deciding on treatment options for prostate cancer patients in the Asian populations.

Evaluation of lymphovascular invasion as a prognostic predictor of overall survival after radical prostatectomy

OBJECTIVE

To assess the prognostic ability of lymphovascular invasion (LVI) as a predictor of overall survival (OS).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We included 126,682 prostate cancer (CaP) cM0 patients who underwent radical prostatectomy with lymph node dissection between 2010 and 2015, within the National Cancer Database. Patients who received androgen deprivation therapy were included. Patients were divided into four sub-cohorts based on LVI and lymph node invasion (LNI) status: pL₀N₀, pL₁N₀, pL₀N₁, and pL₁N₁. Kaplan-Meier curves estimated OS and Cox-regression analysis tested the relationship between LVI and OS.

RESULTS

Median (IQR) age and PSA at diagnosis were 62 (57-66) years and 5.7 (4.5-8.9) ng/ml, respectively. Most patients had pT2 stage (68.5%), and pathological Gleason 3+4 (46.7%). 10.0% and 4.0% patients had LVI and LNI, respectively. Median follow-up was 42 months (27-58). At 5-years, OS was 96.5% in pL₀N₀ patients vs 93.1% pL₁N₀ patients vs 93.3% in pL₀N₁ patients vs 86.6% pL₁N₁ patients. LVI was an independent predictor of OS (hazard ratio [HR]:1.28). LVI showed interaction with LNI, as LVI was associated with a higher overall-mortality in patients with LNI (HR:1.66), than in patients without LNI (HR:1.22). (all P<0.0001) CONCLUSIONS: Our report highlights the detrimental impact of LVI on OS. Patients with LVI alone fared similarly to patients with LNI alone. Patients with both LVI and LNI had worse OS than those with only LVI or LNI, implying a synergetic detrimental interaction. Our findings demonstrate an important utility that LVI can provide in deciding patients' prognoses.

Evaluation of Gleason Grade Group 5 in a Contemporary Prostate Cancer Grading System and Literature Review

INTRODUCTION

The aim of this study was to validate contemporary grading systems, in particular, the Gleason grade group (GGG) 5.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

We retrospectively reviewed the clinicopathologic data of 176 patients who underwent radical prostatectomy and whose pathologic results were GGG 4 or 5. The endpoints were biochemical recurrence (BCR) and castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC).

RESULTS

The GGG 4 group was composed of 69 patients. The GGG 5 group consisted of 78 patients with GS 4+5 and 29 patients with GS 5+4 or higher. The 5-year BCR-free survival rates for men with GGG 4, GS 4+5, and GS 5+4 or higher were 59%, 54%, and 20%, respectively, and the 5-year CRPC-free survival rates were 98%, 100%, and 88%, respectively. Both the BCR- and CRPC-free survival rates were significantly higher in GS 4+5 than in GS 5+4 or higher (P < .001 and P = .002, respectively), but there were no significant differences between GGG 4 and GS 4+5 (P = .702 and P = .803, respectively). The multivariate analysis demonstrated that GS 5+4 or higher (hazard ratio, 3.4; P = .002) and lymphovascular invasion (hazard ratio, 3.4; P < .001) greatly affected BCR.

CONCLUSION

Our follow-up study revealed that men with GS 4+5 and those with GGG 4 had a similar prognosis. However, there was a significant discrepancy in prognosis between GS 4+5 and GS 5+4 or higher. This suggested that GGG 4 and 5 in the contemporary prostate cancer grading system should be reviewed. Furthermore, lymphovascular invasion may be useful to subgroup these pathologically high-risk patients.

The Korea Cancer Big Data Platform (K-CBP) for Cancer Research

Data warehousing is the most important technology to address recent advances in precision medicine. However, a generic clinical data warehouse does not address unstructured and insufficient data. In precision medicine, it is essential to develop a platform that can collect and utilize data. Data were collected from electronic medical records, genomic sequences, tumor biopsy specimens, and national cancer control initiative databases in the National Cancer Center (NCC), Korea. Data were de-identified and stored in a safe and independent space. Unstructured clinical data were standardized and incorporated into cancer registries and linked to cancer genome sequences and tumor biopsy specimens. Finally, national cancer control initiative data from the public domain were independently organized and linked to cancer registries. We constructed a system for integrating and providing various cancer data called the Korea Cancer Big Data Platform (K-CBP). Although the K-CBP could be used for cancer research, the legal and regulatory aspects of data distribution and usage need to be addressed first. Nonetheless, the system will continue collecting data from cancer-related resources that will hopefully facilitate precision-based research.

Genetic polymorphism and carbonic anhydrase 9 expression can predict nodal metastatic prostate cancer risk in patients with prostate-specific antigen levels ≤10 ng/ml at initial biopsy

OBJECTIVES

Active surveillance is a common management method for low-risk prostate cancer (CaP). However, devising a method to prevent disease progression is crucial. Carbon anhydrase 9 (CA9) plays a vital role in cell adhesion and intercellular communication correlated to tumor metastasis. Our study explored the impact of CA9 genetic polymorphism on the clinicopathological features and prognosis of CaP.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

In total, 579 patients with CaP who underwent robot-assisted radical prostatectomy were enrolled, 270 of whom had an initial prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level ≤10 ng/ml and 309 had initial one >10 ng/ml. Three single-nucleotide polymorphisms of CA9 gene were examined using real-time polymerase chain reaction assay.

RESULTS

After adjusting the confounding factors, participants carrying at least one G allele at CA9 rs3829078 had a 2.241-fold change in PSA compared with the wild-type carrier (AA), leading to an initial PSA level of ≤10 ng/ml. Furthermore, patients with CaP with an initial PSA level ≤10 ng/ml who carried at least one G allele at CA9 rs3829078 had a 4.532-fold and 3.484-fold risk of lymph node metastasis and lymphovascular invasion, respectively. Moreover, The Cancer Genome Atlas database showed that the CA9 mRNA expression significantly increased N1 disease risk and worsened overall survival trends.

CONCLUSION

The rs3829078 polymorphic genotype of CA9 can predict the risk of lymph node metastasis of CaP with an initial PSA level ≤10 ng/ml. This is the first study to report a correlation between CA9 gene polymorphisms/CA9 mRNA expression and early detection of CaP.

Impact of GAS5 genetic polymorphism on prostate cancer susceptibility and clinicopathologic characteristics

Down-regulation of Growth arrest-specific 5 (GAS5) is correlated with enhanced cell proliferation and poorer prognosis of prostate cancer. We aimed to investigate the effect of variant rs145204276 of GAS5 on the prostate cancer susceptibility and clinicopathologic characteristics. In this study, 579 prostate cancer patients who underwent robot-assisted radical prostatectomy and 579 healthy controls were included. The frequency of the allele del of rs145204276 were compared between the patients and the controls to evaluate the impact of tumor susceptibility and the correlation of clinicopathological variables. The results shown that patients who carries genotype ins/del or del/del at SNP rs145204276 showed decreased risk of pathological lymph node metastasis disease (OR=0.545, p=0.043) and risk of seminal vesicle invasion (OR=0.632, p=0.022) comparing to with genotype ins/ins. In the subgroup analysis of age, more significant risk reduction effects were noted over lymph node metastasis disease (OR=0.426, p=0.032) and lymphovascular invasion (OR=0.521, p=0.025). In conclusion, the rs145204276 polymorphic genotype of GAS5 can predict the risk of lymph node metastasis. This is the first study to report the correlation between GAS5 gene polymorphism and prostate cancer prognosis.

Prostate cancer reporting and staging: needle biopsy and radical prostatectomy specimens

Prostatic adenocarcinoma remains the most common cancer affecting men. A substantial majority of patients have the diagnosis made on thin needle biopsies, most often in the absence of a palpable abnormality. Treatment choices ranging from surveillance to radical prostatectomy or radiation therapy are largely driven by the pathologic findings in the biopsy specimen. The first part of this review focuses on important morphologic parameters in needle biopsy specimens that are not covered in the accompanying articles. This includes tumor quantification as well as other parameters such a extraprostatic extension, seminal vesicle invasion, perineural invasion, and lymphovascular invasion. For those men who undergo radical prostatectomy, pathologic stage and other parameters are critical in prognostication and in determining the appropriateness of adjuvant therapy. Staging parameters, including extraprostatic extension, seminal vesicle invasion, and lymph node status are discussed here. Surgical margin status is also an important parameter and definitions and reporting of this feature are detailed. Throughout the article the current reporting guidelines published by the College of American Pathologists and the International Collaboration on Cancer Reporting are highlighted.

Pathological and oncological features of Korean prostate cancer patients eligible for active surveillance: analysis from the K-CaP registry

Background

A web-based multicenter Korean Prostate Cancer Database (K-CaP) was established to provide urologists with information on Korean prostate cancer (PCa) patients treated with radical prostatectomy (RP). We utilized the K-CaP registry to identify pathological features and oncological outcomes of Korean PCa patients eligible for active surveillance (AS).

Methods

The K-CaP registry consisted of 6415 patients who underwent RP from May 2001 to April 2013 at five institutions. Preoperative clinicopathological data were collected to identify patients who were eligible for at least one contemporary AS protocol. Patients who had received neoadjuvant androgen deprivation therapy or a 5α-reductase inhibitor, who had <10 total biopsy cores, or who had incomplete data were excluded. Biochemical recurrence (BCR) was defined as prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level ≥0.2 ng/ml following RP.

Results

A total of 560 patients were identified, and the median follow-up period was 52.0 (interquartile range, 39.0-67.3) months. Pathologically insignificant PCa, defined as organ-confined disease with Gleason score ≤6 was observed in 314 (56.1%) patients. Pathological upgrading (Gleason score ≥7) and upstaging (≥pT3) were observed in 237 (42.3%) and 75 (13.4%) patients, respectively. Unfavorable disease (extracapsular extension, seminal vesicle invasion, or Gleason score ≥8) was observed in 85 (15.2%) patients. PSA density ≤0.2 ng/ml/cc and maximal single core involvement ≤20% were revealed as independent preoperative predictors of pathologically insignificant PCa.

Conclusion

Contemporary Western AS protocols unreliably predict pathologically insignificant PCa in Korean men. Korean men may harbor more aggressive PCa features than Western men, and thus, a more stringent AS protocol is needed.

Evaluation of tumor morphologies and association with biochemical recurrence after radical prostatectomy in grade group 5 prostate cancer

We assessed Gleason pattern 5 (GP5) and other prostatic adenocarcinoma (PCa) morphologies to determine their association with biochemical recurrence (BCR). A search for grade group 5 PCa with radical prostatectomy (RP) yielded 49 patients. RPs were reviewed for %GP5 and morphologies (sheets, single cells, cords, small solid cylinders, solid medium to large nests with rosette-like spaces [SMLNRS], comedonecrosis, cribriform glands, glomerulations, intraductal carcinoma of the prostate [IDC-P], and prostatic ductal adenocarcinoma [PDCa]). Prevalence of morphologies was as follows: single cells 100%, cribriform glands 98.7%, cords 85.7%, IDC-P 77.6%, comedonecrosis 53.1%, sheets 49.0%, small solid cylinders 49.0%, PDCa 44.9%, glomerulations 34.7%, and SMLNRS 14.3%. From 28 patients who were treated with RP as monotherapy, 64.3% (18/28) had BCR. Comedonecrosis, sheets, small solid cylinders, IDC-P, and PDCa were significantly associated with BCR. Number of morphologies on RP and %GP5 were higher in patients with BCR (6.8 ± 2.1 versus 3.7 ± 2.9%; P < 0.001 and 26.9 ± 16.8 versus 11.4 ± 14.1%; P = 0.02) with area under ROC curve of 0.89 (confidence intervals [CI] 0.77-1.00). Sensitivity/specificity was 77.8/80.0% for predicting BCR when ≥ 5 morphologies were present and 0.79 (CI 0.60-0.99) with sensitivity/specificity of 66.7/80.0% for predicting BCR when ≥ 15% GP5 was present. Hazard ratio for BCR was higher with increasing number of morphologies (1.23, CI 1.02-1.49; P = 0.034) but not %GP5 (0.99, CI 0.97-1.02, P = 0.622). Our results indicate that GP5 morphologies may represent a biologically heterogeneous group and that an increasing number of PCa morphologies on RP is strongly associated with an increased risk of BCR.