Low pretreatment total testosterone (< 3 ng/mL) predicts extraprostatic disease in prostatectomy specimens from patients with preoperative localized prostate cancer

Abstract

Objective: • To investigate the relationship between pretreatment testosterone levels and pathological specimen characteristics, by prospectively examining serum androgen concentrations in a well-studied cohort of patients who underwent radical prostatectomy (RP) for localized prostate cancer.

Patients and methods: • A total of 107 patients with clinically localized prostate cancer had an assay of total testosterone before laparoscopic RP at our institution. • The results were classified into two groups based on the total serum testosterone: group1, < 3 ng/mL; group 2, ≥ 3 ng/mL. • Student's t-test was used to compare continuous variables, and Fisher's exact test or the chi-squared test was used to compare categorical variables. • Survival curves were established using the Kaplan-Meier method and compared using the log-rank test. In all tests, P < 0.05 was considered to indicate statistical significance.

Results: • All patients had localized prostate cancer based on digital rectal examination (DRE) and preoperative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Groups 1 and 2 were similar in terms of age, body mass index, preoperative co-morbidities (cardiovascular and diabetes mellitus), clinical stage of prostate cancer and preoperative PSA levels. • In pathological specimens, low total testosterone (< 3 ng/mL) was an independent risk factor for high Gleason score (> 7) and for locally advanced pathological stage (pT3 and pT4). • Higher preoperative testosterone correlated with disease confined to the gland. • There was no association between serum testosterone levels and surgical margin status, on the one hand, and biochemical recurrence on the other.

Conclusion: • Low serum testosterone appears to be predictive of aggressive disease (Gleason score >7 and extraprostatic disease, pathological stage > pT2) in patients who underwent RP for localized prostate cancer.