Effect of lymphovascular invasion on biochemical recurrence in patients treated with radical prostatectomy / 中华泌尿外科杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective:To investigate the effect of lymphovascular invasion (LVI) on biochemical recurrence in patients treated with radical prostatectomy (RP).Methods:From June 2012 to November 2020, 403 cases treated with RP in the Second Hospital of Tianjin Medical University were analyzed retrospectively. Median age was 67 (range 47-81) years old. Median prostate specific antigen (PSA) was 18.0 (range 1.9-813.0) ng/ml. All patients received prostate biopsy and were confirmed with prostatic acinar adenocarcinoma according to pathology. The Gleason score of 44 (10.9%) cases were 6, 65 (16.1%) cases were 3+ 4, 62 (15.4%) cases were 4+ 3, and 232 (57.5%) cases were ≥8. 73 (18.1%) patients received neoadjuvant hormonal therapy. RP and pelvic lymph node dissection were carried out in all patients including 10 open surgery, 144 laparoscopic surgery and 249 robot-assisted laparoscopic surgery. The χ 2 test was used to analyze the correlation between LVI and clinicopathological characteristics. Kaplan-Meier method and log-rank test were used to summarize time-to-biochemical recurrence end point and compare biochemical recurrence-free survival between LVI positive and negative groups. Univariable and multivariable analyses were performed to test the possible factors of biochemical recurrence with Cox proportional-hazard model. Results:Of all 403 patients treated with RP, the final Gleason score of 68 (16.9%) cases were≤6, 87 (21.6%) cases were 3+ 4, 89 (22.1%) cases were 4+ 3, and 159 (39.5%) cases were≥8. 179 (44.4%) patients had positive surgical margins. The rate of seminal vesicle invasion was 23.6% (95 patients). There were 167 (41.4%) cases with T 1~2 and 236 (58.6%) cases with T 3~4 pathological stage. 39 (9.7%) patients had lymph node metastasis. 62 (15.4%) patients were LVI positive and 341 (84.6%) patients were LVI negative. There were statistically significant differences in biopsy and final Gleason score, pathological stage, rates of seminal vesicle invasion and rates of positive lymph node between LVI positive and negative patients ( P<0.05). 259 (64.3%) patients received adjuvant hormonal therapy and 70 (17.4%) patients received adjuvant hormonal plus radiation therapy. Median follow-up time was 22 (range 6-89) months. 23 (37.1%) occurred biochemical recurrence in LVI positive cases and median biochemical recurrence-free survival was 41 months. Meanwhile, 71 (20.8%) occurred biochemical recurrence in LVI negative cases and median biochemical recurrence-free survival was not reached, significantly longer than LVI positive cases ( P<0.001). Multivariable analysis showed that PSA level, biopsy gleason score, neoadjuvant hormonal therapy, pathological stage, positive surgical margins, seminal vesicle invasion, lymph node metastasis and LVI were significantly associated with prognostic prediction of biochemical recurrence. Conclusions:LVI implies shorter biochemical recurrence-free survival and could be an independent predictor on biochemical recurrence in patients treated with RP.