Role of prostatic specific antigen (PSA), in the stage, grade and nuclear ploidy in patients with locally advanced prostatic carcinoma. Evaluation of 57 cases with follow-up of 23-82 months (average 45 months)

We present an update of our series of 57 patients submitted to radical prostatectomy where pathological examination had shown extensive local or lymph nodal spread of disease (stage C-D1 according to A.U.S.). The operations took place between January 1989 and December 1994 and the average follow-up was 45 months. We subdivided the patients according to grade of differentiation (Gleasom score) into 2 classes G2-G5 and G6-G10. In the patients with aneuploid DNA contents a small PSA production was observed. The analysis of the role of ploidy with disease free survival tables has shown in the diploids (0.2957) that this is better than the aneuploids (0.2131). The risk of global recurrence, evaluated with the Cox proportional model, has revealed a relative risk 2.6 times greater in cases of nuclear aneuploidy. Of local or distant recurrence alone (excluding risen PSA), the relative risk was respectively 4.0 and 4.3.