The results of radical retropubic prostatectomy and adjuvant therapy for pathologic stage C prostate cancer

Purpose: The results of therapy in 288 men with pathologic Stage C prostate cancer who underwent radical retropubic prostatectomy (RRP) were analyzed to determine the effects of adjuvant therapy, Methods and Materials: Twenty-seven of the 288 patients received preoperative neoadjuvant hormonal therapy (leuprolide acetate), Postoperatively, 60 patients received adjuvant radiotherapy (RT) to the prostate bed, Follow-up ranged from 3 to 83 months (median = 32 months). Freedom from failure (FFF) was defined as maintaining a serum PSA level of less than or equal to 0.3 ng/ml, Results: The FFF was 61% at 3 years and 45% at 5 years for the entire group, The FFF following RRP plus RT was 75% at 3 years and 57% at 5 years as compared to 56% at 3 years and 40% at 5 years for RRP without RT (p = 0.049), The FFF following RRP plus neoadjuvant hormonal therapy was 58% at 3 years and 40% at 5 years as compared to 60% at 3 years and 45% at 5 years following RRP without hormonal therapy (p = 0.3). In patients without seminal vesicle (SV) invasion, the FFF was 81% at 3 and 5 years for RRP plus RT as compared to 61% at 3 years and 50% at 5 years for RRP without RT (p = 0.01), In patients with SV invasion, the FFF was 61% at 3 years and 36% at 5 years for RRP plus RT as compared to 44% at 3 years and 23% at 5 years for RRP without RT (p = 0.23), The projected local control rate was 83% at 5 years for those with RRP alone as compared to 100% for RRP plus RT (p = 0.02), Survival at 5 years was projected to be 92% and was not significantly altered by the administration of adjuvant therapies, Conclusions: Postoperative RT was associated with significantly improved local control and FFF rates, especially in patients with tumors which did not involve the seminal vesicles.