Limited sampling of radical prostatectomy specimens with excellent preservation of prognostic parameters of prostate cancer.

Context: The widespread use of the serum prostate-specific antigen test has increased the early detection of prostate cancer and consequently reduced grossly definable prostate cancers.

Objective: To find the most efficient gross sampling method for radical prostatectomy specimens not only preserving important prognostic factors but also being cost effective.

Design: We initially analyzed clinicopathologic features of the entire prostate sections from 148 radical prostatectomy specimens, which then were used to examine the impact of 5 partial sampling methods on tumor stage, Gleason score, extraprostatic extension, resection margin status, and paraffin block numbers. The methods included submission of (1) alternative slices, (2) alternative slices plus biopsy-positive posterior quarters, (3) every posterior half, (4) every posterior half plus one midanterior half, and (5) alternative slices plus peripheral 3-mm rim of the remaining prostate.

Results: Prostate cancers and their extraprostatic extension and resection margin involvement were commonly located in the right posterior portion of the prostate. Method 5 was most efficient, detecting all cases with extraprostatic extension and resection margin involvement and reducing 25% of paraffin blocks compared with the entire sampling of the prostate. The Gleason scores were retained in most of cases, except reversal of the primary and secondary Gleason grade component in only 2 cases (1%). Only 4 cases (3%) were downstaged within the same T2 stage.

Conclusions: These results demonstrate that sampling of alternative slices plus peripheral rim of the remaining prostate is the most efficient partial sampling method for radical prostatectomy specimens.