Purpose: A retrospective analysis was performed on patients with surgically staged localized prostate cancer treated with external beam radiation therapy for 10-year overall, cause specific and disease-free survivals based on lack of clinical recurrence and 2 separate prostate specific antigen criteria for cure.
Materials and methods: We analyzed 145 patients who received external beam radiation therapy after a negative staging pelvic lymphadenectomy for prostate cancer. Followup data were available for 129 patients (90%). Disease was stage A in 29 patients (22.5%), stage B in 64 (49.6%), stage B2/C in 2 (17%) and stage C in 14 (10.9%). Average potential followup from date of diagnosis was 11.5 years (minimum 7.2). Of the patients 87 potentially can be followed for longer than 10 years. Disease-free survival was based on a normal digital rectal examination, lack of symptoms suspicious for metastasis and application of 2 separate prostate specific antigen criteria of 4 ng./ml. or less (group 1), or 1.5 ng./ml. or less (group 2). Survival was analyzed with the Kaplan-Meier actuarial method.
Results: Actuarial overall survival at 10 and 15 years was 63.7 and 49.6, respectively, and cause specific survival was 84.2 and 80%, respectively. Disease-free survival was 54.5 and 32.4%, respectively, for group 1, and 42.3 and 9.6%, respectively, for group 2.
Conclusions: The improved patient selection inherent in surgical staging before definitive external beam radiation therapy provides for improved overall and cause specific survival over that of patients without surgical staging. Biochemical disease-free survival also appears to be improved.