Tumor grade at margins of resection in radical prostatectomy specimens is an independent predictor of prognosis.
Brimo F, Partin AW, Epstein JI.
Editor’s note: Positive surgical margins (PSMs) are an independent prognostic indicator of biochemical recurrence after radical prostatectomy (RP). It has been reported that Gleason grade at positive margins varies from the Gleason grade assigned to the tumor after RP. The authors of this study suggested that it is not only the presence of a PSM, but the tumor grade and length of the margin that are important. The aims of this study were to assess the clinical relevance of sub-classifying patients based upon the Gleason grade and length of extraprostatic extension (EPE) for prostate cancer after RP. Unlike previous studies, the investigators excluded those patients with an intraparenchymal prostatic incision made at the time of surgery. Patients with positive apical margins were only included if there were positive margins elsewhere.