Purpose: We attempt to contribute to the understanding of the natural history of prostate cancer metastatic to lymph nodes.
Materials and methods: A total of 61 patients with node-positive prostate cancer was prospectively followed without adjuvant treatment for an average of 41 months. The impact of T and P categories, grade, tumor volume and prostate specific antigen change on interval to progression was studied in a univariate and multivariate analysis.
Results: Median interval to progression was 18 months, and correlated with grade and prostate specific antigen doubling time. Changes in prostatic volume with time were not predictive.
Conclusions: Our study provides insight into the natural history of node-positive disease and identifies relevant prognostic factors that may be used for treatment decisions.