Interval between biopsy and RARP does not impact biochemical recurrence in prostate cancer

A prolonged gap between biopsy and robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP) does not significantly influence the likelihood of biochemical recurrence (BCR) in prostate cancer patients, even in those who are considered high-risk, a recent Japan study has found.

The researchers conducted a retrospective analysis of 302 RARP patients (mean age 65.0±5.9 years) who were grouped into two according to the time interval from biopsy to surgery: ≤180 days (group A; n=144) or >180 days (group B; n=158). Participants were assessed for BCR, and its predictors were assessed.

Over a median follow-up of 42 months, BCR occurred in 24 patients after an average of 13.5 months after RARP. Comparisons between patient subgroups showed significant differences in terms of age (p=0.004), the median percentage of positive biopsy cores (p=0.0051), and post-RARP Gleason scores (p=0.031).

However, the rates of BCR remained comparable between groups A and B (10.4 percent vs 5.7 percent; p=0.065)

Multivariate analysis confirmed that the interval between biopsy and surgery was not a significant predictor of BCR (>180 vs ≤180 days: hazard ratio [HR], 0.639, 95 percent confidence interval [CI], 0.24–1.66; p=0.358).

On the other hand, notable predictors of BCR included clinical stage ≥T3 (HR, 4.42, 95 percent CI, 1.30–15.00; p=0.017), Gleason score ≥8 on biopsy (HR, 7.6, 95 percent CI, 2.33–24.80; p=0.0007), body mass index <23.5 kg/m² (HR, 2.97, 95 percent CI, 1.09–8.13; p=0.034), and having undergone lymph node dissection (HR, 0.26, 95 percent CI, 0.076–0.908; p=0.034).