Prognostic Factors Based on Long-term Follow-up

Abstract

As delineated in chapter 2.3., quantitated tumor volume is the single most important prognostic factor in the individual patient with carcinoma of the prostate. Indeed, members of the American Cancer Society and the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) have proposed to use tumor volume as an adjunct to the official TNM staging system (Bostwick et al., 1993). However, exact determination of tumor volume preoperatively is not yet possible and serial step-sectioning of radical prostatectomy specimens for measuring tumor volume postoperatively is expensive and not suitable for daily pathological routine. There is a practical need for an abbreviated standard procedure for accurate tumor volume estimation in the radical prostatectomy specimen.