Pathological upgrading in prostate cancer patients eligible for active surveillance: Does prostate-specific antigen density matter?

PURPOSE: To evaluate prospectively the role of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) density in predicting Gleason score upgrading in prostate cancer patients eligible for active surveillance (T1/T2, biopsy Gleason score< or =6, PSA< or =10 ng/mL, and < or =2 positive biopsy cores). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between January 2010 and November 2013, among patients who underwent greater than 10-core transrectal ultrasound-guided biopsy, 60 patients eligible for active surveillance underwent radical prostatectomy. By use of the modified Gleason criteria, the tumor grade of the surgical specimens was examined and compared with the biopsy results. RESULTS: Tumor upgrading occurred in 24 patients (40.0%). Extracapsular disease and positive surgical margins were found in 6 patients (10.0%) and 8 patients (17.30%), respectively. A statistically significant correlation between PSA density and postoperative upgrading was found (p=0.030); this was in contrast with the other studied parameters, which failed to reach significance, including PSA, prostate volume, number of biopsy cores, and number of positive cores. Tumor upgrading was also highly associated with extracapsular cancer extension (p=0.000). The estimated optimal cutoff value of PSA density was 0.13 ng/mL2, obtained by receiver operating characteristic analysis (area under the curve=0.66; p=0.020; 95% confidence interval, 0.53-0.78). CONCLUSIONS: PSA density is a strong predictor of Gleason score upgrading after radical prostatectomy in patients eligible for active surveillance. Because tumor upgrading increases the potential for postoperative pathological adverse findings and prognosis, PSA density should be considered when treating and consulting patients eligible for active surveillance.

Prognostic Significance of Peritumoral Vascular Invasion in Patients with Invasive Breast Cancer / 한국유방암학회지

PURPOSE: Multiple clinical, biological, and pathologic factors correlate with the outcomes in patients with invasive breast cancer. The utility of a peritumoral vascular invasion (PVI) as an additional prognostic indicator has been poorly defined. The aim of this study was to determine if the presence or absence of PVI can be used to help assess the survival and recurrence. METHODS: An invasion of the vascular space (lymphatic and/or blood vessel) by a tumor, as assessed on routine hematoxylin and eosin sections, was investigated in a 146 women with primary operable invasive breast carcinoma. The presence of PVI was compared with the established prognostic factors such as age, tumor size, axillary lymph node involvement, histological grade, hormonal receptor status, and expression of c-erb B2, Ki-67 and p53. Survival analysis was performed using Kaplan-Meier method and log-rank test. RESULTS: PVI was found in 35.6% of cases and was significantly associated with an increasing tumor size (P=0.033) and metastatic axillary lymph nodes (P=0.012). The 5 year disease free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) were significantly lower in the patients with PVI than without PVI (P=0.0431 and 0.0445, respectively). In multivariate analysis, the axillary lymph node status (P=0.001), the tumor size (P=0.044) and PVI (P=0.050) were significant independent prognostic factors for the DFS. In the node- negative breast cancer group and in the node-positive breast cancer group, the 5 year DFS and OS were lower in the patients with PVI than in those without, but this did not show significant difference. CONCLUSION: Cox multivariate analysis showed that PVI is a strong prognostic factor for patients with operable invasive breast cancer and an independent prognostic factor for a recurrence. A histological assessment of PVI can provide prognostic information on primary operable invasive breast carcinoma and might be helpful in making a clinical decision.

Clinical, Pathologic and Immunohistochemical Features of Phyllodes Tumor of the Breast / 한국유방암학회지

The histological distinction between benign and malignant phyllodes tumors (PT) is often difficult and arbitrary. We analyzed clinical, histological features and expressions of Ki-67 and p53 using immunohistochemistry and estimate its significance in assessing the grade of malignancy and in predicting the clinical behavior of these tumors on 20 cases of PT of the breast (11 benign, 3 low-grade malignancy and 6 high-grade malignancy). Statistically significant differences between benign, low-grade malignant, and high-grade malignant PT by size of tumor, cellular atypism, stromal cellularity, margin of tumor, and number of mitotic figures. The mean labeling index (LI) of Ki-67 in high-grade malignant PT (9.6+/-9.6) was three-fold higher than that in benign PT (2.7+/-2.2), but this difference was not statistically significant (P=0.074). None of the benign PT were positive for p53, whereas 2 of 3 low-grade malignant and 3 of 6 high-grade malignant PT were positive for p53. Statistically significant differences in the pattern of p53 expression existed among the benign, low-grade malignant, and high-grade malignant lesions (P=0.018). Ki-67 LI and p53 expression were associated with numbers of mitotic figure, but were not associated with metastasis (P=0.546 and 0.216). Increased p53 immunoreactivity is present in high-grade and low-grade malignant PTs in contrast to benign PTs, and malignant PT had a higher Ki-67 LI than benign PT. Thus, p53 and Ki-67 expression may assist in distinguishing benign from malignant PT in diagnostically difficult cases.