[Comparison between surveillance, adjuvant radiotherapy, or salvage radiotherapy after radical prostatectomy in patients with prostate cancer (PCa) in stage pT3 or higher and/or positive surgical margins].

Objective: To assess the mid-term evolution of high-risk prostate cancer (PCa) initially treated with radical prostatectomy (RP) and to compare the role of surveillance and postoperative radiotherapy, either adjuvant (aRT) or salvage (sRT).

Methods: Retrospective study of 390 patients with PCa treated with RP at our institution from February 1988 to December 2012. Those in stage pT3 or higher and/or with positive surgical margins (PSM) were included. They were divided in three groups: group 1, undergoing surveillance after RP; group 2 receiving aRT; and group 3 receiving sRT. Cancer-specific survival (CSS) was estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method.

Results: 156 patients were analyzed. Mean age was 63.8 ± 6.9 years (45-79). Mean follow-up was 58 ± 45 months; 71 (45.5%) had PSM, 40 (25.6%) were in stage pT3 or higher, and 45 (28.8%) had both features. Group 1 included 91 patients, group 2, 43 and group 3, 22. Initial prostate-specific antigen (PSA) was 12.8 ng/ml in group 1, 14.9 ng/ml in group 2, and 14.5 ng/ml in group 3 (p = 0.07). First postoperative PSA was 0.27, 0.87, and 0.50 ng/ml in group 1, 2 and 3, respectively (p = 0.007). Seven men died of PCa: three in group 1, three in group 2, and one in group 3 (p = 0.6). The CSS at five and 10 years was 100 and 89% for group 1, 95 and 80% for group 2, and 94 and 94% for group 3 (p = 0.71).

Conclusion: Our results retrospectively show that surveillance, aRT and sRT are equivalent for the mid-term control of PCa after RP.