OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the clinical, laboratory and histological characteristics of prostate cancer at the time of diagnosis and after radical treatment in various ethnically different patient groups. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Prostatic biopsies were performed in 466 consecutive patients because of an abnormal digital rectal examination and/or isolated elevation of PSA (greater than 3 ng/ml). In this series, 40 patients were Black and 426 were Caucasian. The other aspect of the study concerns 320 patients undergoing radical prostatectomy for stage T1 T2 prostatic tumour (25 Black, 295 Caucasian). In the biopsied group, we analysed mean age, mean PSA, mean cancer length on biopsies and mean Gleason score. In the operated group, we studied preoperative characteristics, histological stage, resection margin status, laboratory progression (PSA greater than 0.05 ng/ml) and time to progression. RESULTS: At the time of diagnosis, the mean age was 61.4 years (48-73) for Blacks and 65.2 years (42-87) for Caucasians (p < 0.05). The median Gleason score was 7 in the two groups. The PSA was 13.4 (1.7-105) ng/ml versus 14.4 (0.4-600) ng/ml, respectively. The mean percentage of invaded tissue on biopsies was 24% versus 18.8% and the mean percentage of positive biopsies was 53% versus 39%, respectively. In the operated group, capsular effraction rates were 39% in Blacks and 48.1% in Caucasians. Positive resection margin rates were 21.7% versus 36.6%, respectively. The laboratory progression rate with a mean follow-up of 33 months (6-126) was identical in the 2 groups (42.1% versus 41.1%), but the time to progression was shorter for Blacks (9 months versus 12.3 months). CONCLUSIONS: In this patient series, Black patients had the same laboratory profile as Caucasian patients at the time of diagnosis. However, they were younger at the time of discovery of the disease, had more positive biopsies and more tumour-invaded tissue on biopsies, and Black patients undergoing radical prostatectomy developed laboratory recurrence more rapidly.
OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the clinical, laboratory and histological characteristics of prostate cancer at the time of diagnosis and after radical treatment in various ethnically different patient groups. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Prostatic biopsies were performed in 466 consecutive patients because of an abnormal digital rectal examination and/or isolated elevation of PSA (greater than 3 ng/ml). In this series, 40 patients were Black and 426 were Caucasian. The other aspect of the study concerns 320 patients undergoing radical prostatectomy for stage T1 T2 prostatic tumour (25 Black, 295 Caucasian). In the biopsied group, we analysed mean age, mean PSA, mean cancer length on biopsies and mean Gleason score. In the operated group, we studied preoperative characteristics, histological stage, resection margin status, laboratory progression (PSA greater than 0.05 ng/ml) and time to progression. RESULTS: At the time of diagnosis, the mean age was 61.4 years (48-73) for Blacks and 65.2 years (42-87) for Caucasians (p < 0.05). The median Gleason score was 7 in the two groups. The PSA was 13.4 (1.7-105) ng/ml versus 14.4 (0.4-600) ng/ml, respectively. The mean percentage of invaded tissue on biopsies was 24% versus 18.8% and the mean percentage of positive biopsies was 53% versus 39%, respectively. In the operated group, capsular effraction rates were 39% in Blacks and 48.1% in Caucasians. Positive resection margin rates were 21.7% versus 36.6%, respectively. The laboratory progression rate with a mean follow-up of 33 months (6-126) was identical in the 2 groups (42.1% versus 41.1%), but the time to progression was shorter for Blacks (9 months versus 12.3 months). CONCLUSIONS: In this patient series, Black patients had the same laboratory profile as Caucasian patients at the time of diagnosis. However, they were younger at the time of discovery of the disease, had more positive biopsies and more tumour-invaded tissue on biopsies, and Black patients undergoing radical prostatectomy developed laboratory recurrence more rapidly.