A clinical appraisal of post-irradiation biopsy in prostatic cancer

Abstract

Twenty patients with adenocarcinoma of the prostate were reviewed clinically and by serial biopsy to demonstrate the spectrum of difficulties encountered. Only three patients recurred locally during their lifetime. In spite of positive biopsies, 17/20 patients had negative clinical exams at 2–7 years. Deaths were mainly secondary to disseminated disease. There is yet no good correlation between clinical evaluation and the biopsy response pattern. The significance of no residual tumor or fibrosis with scattered tumor nests on post-irradiation biopsies has yet to be defined.