Smaller prostates have been linked to unfavorable clinical characteristics and poor short-term outcomes following radical prostatectomy (RP). Researchers investigated the relationship between prostate weight at RP and prostate cancer (PC) outcomes post-RP. The results were posted in the journal Prostate.
Researchers assessed 6,242 patients undergoing RP between 1988 and 2017. The primary endpoint of interest was PC-specific mortality (PCSM), with biochemical recurrence (BCR), castration-resistant PC (CRPC) and metastasis as secondary outcomes.
According to the results, prostate weight was not associated with PCSM in the main analyses (hazard ratio [HR] =1.43; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.87-2.34) nor was it associated with PCSM in sensitivity analyses. The results noted that prostate weight was inversely associated with BCR in the main analyses (HR = 0.70; 95%CI, 0.61-0.79) which was unchanged in sensitivity analyses.
“Inconsistent results for prostate weight and short-term vs. longer-term outcomes highlight the need to better understand the complex biology leading to prostate size and the relevance of prostate size as a predictor of PC outcomes,” the researchers concluded.
