Abstract
The aim of our study is evaluate PSA kinetics after radical prostatectomy for localized prostate cancer.
Materials and Methods
We evaluated PSA kinetic in 101 patients who underwent radical prostatectomy for localized prostate cancer. Only patients in whom one or more measurable PSA values available postoperatively (from day 2 to day 10) were included in our study group. We calculated the PSA half-life after radical prostatectomy.
Results
The median PSA half-life after radical prostatectomy was 2.2 days (range 0.97 to 6.73 days). We found a statistical difference in PSA half-life between patients with and without positive surgical margins; the group with positive surgical margins showed a slower reduction of PSA than the other, probably due the presence of residual cancer tumor. Conclusions. PSA half-life differs during the beta-phase after radical prostatectomy, it is longer in patients with positive surgical margins than those with negative surgical margins. This difference is probably due to the presence of residual prostate cancer after surgery.
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