ABSTRACT
With the advent of the serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) assay, men are being diagnosed with prostate cancer at earlier stages. Statistical algorithms, such as the Partin and Kattan nomograms, that incorporate multivariate analyses of several pretreatment variables, provide the clinician with valuable data regarding the likelihood of extraprostatic disease.1,2 For example, a man with newly diagnosed prostate cancer, with a serum PSA of 5.0 ng/mL, a Gleason score of 6 (3+3), and a clinical stage T1c lesion has, according to the Partin Tables, an 80% (78-83) chance of organ-confined disease, 19% (16-21) probability of extraprostatic extension, and 0% (0-1) chance of lymph node invasion.1 With such a high likelihood of organconfined disease, this patient may be a candidate for brachytherapy, external beam radiation, or radical prostatectomy as definitive local treatment for prostate cancer.
