Purpose: Cryoablation has been proven as a less invasive, safe, and effective treatment for localized prostate cancer. We attempted to identify the predictors of biochemical recurrence after prostate cryoablation for localized prostate cancer in this study.
Methods: We reviewed 114 patients who underwent primary whole-gland prostate cryoablation for localized prostate cancer from October 2008 to March 2013. The perioperative parameters included age >70 years, initial prostate-specific antigen (PSA), preoperative prostate volume, Gleason score, T stage, D'Amico risk group, postoperative PSA nadir, time to PSA nadir, and PSA biochemical recurrence, defined by Phoenix definition (nadir plus 2 ng/mL). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was used for the best cutoff value of PSA nadir for PSA biochemical recurrence. The parameters were analyzed in binary logistic regression and Kaplan-Meier analysis for PSA biochemical recurrence.
Results: A total of 31.6 % (N = 36) patients had PSA biochemical recurrence during the median follow-up of 34.87 ± 16.49 months. ROC analysis revealed that the best cutoff value for biochemical recurrence prediction was when the PSA nadir = 0.3 ng/mL. On multivariate analysis and Kaplan-Meier analysis, the D'Amico high-risk group [hazard ratio (HR) 6.552; p = 0.014], PSA nadir >0.3 ng/mL (HR 34.062; p < 0.001), and time to PSA nadir <3 months (HR 4.144; p = 0.021) were statistically significant for PSA biochemical recurrence.
Conclusions: The D'Amico high-risk group, postoperative PSA nadir >0.3 ng/mL, and time to PSA nadir <3 months predict biochemical recurrence in primary whole-gland prostate cryoablation.