Evidence to Support a Continued Stage Migration and Decrease in Prostate Cancer Specific Mortality

Abstract

We evaluated whether the proportion of patients with a postoperative PSA-DT less than 3 months, a surrogate for PCSM, decreased significantly during the PSA era. Between July 1988 and July 2002, 3,719 men with clinically localized prostate cancer treated with RP comprised the study cohort. A chi-square metric was used to compare the preoperative and postoperative characteristics, 5-year actual PSA failure rates, and PSA-DTs for patients treated during the 2 equally divided eras of the early PSA era, July 1988 to July 1995 and the late PSA era, August 1995 to July 2002. Patients presenting in the more recent PSA era were of younger age (p <0.0001), with earlier stage (p <0.0001) and lower grade disease (p = 0.01). Similarly, patients had lower grade (p <0.001), stage (p <0.0001), and positive margin (p <0.0001) and lymph node rates (p = 0.0002) at RP. The 5-year actual PSA failure rates decreased from 14.3% in the early PSA era to 2.5% in the later PSA era (p <0.0001). There was a 37% reduction in the proportion of patients with a PSA-DT less than 3 months, corresponding to a decrease in absolute magnitude from 9% to 5.7% between the 2 eras. Absolute reductions of 3.1% and 9% were also noted for the proportion of PSA-DTs of 3 to 5.99 months and 6 to 11.99 months, respectively, whereas PSA-DTs of 12 months or greater increased by 15.3%. During the recent PSA era, postoperative PSA failure has significantly decreased and PSA-DTs have increased, suggesting that PCSM will continue to decrease.