Can robot-assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (RALP) be performed very soon after biopsy?

Abstract

To identify the perioperative and oncological impact of different intervals between biopsy and robot-assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (RALP) for localized prostate cancer. All consecutive patients with localized prostate cancer who underwent RALP with primary curative intent in January 2008-July 2014 in a large tertiary hospital were enrolled in this retrospective cohort study. The patients were divided into groups according to whether the biopsy-RALP interval was 2, 4, 6, or > 6 weeks. Estimated blood loss and operating room time were surrogates for surgical difficulty. Surgical margin status and continence at the 1 year were surrogates for surgical efficacy. Biochemical recurrence (BCR) was defined as two consecutive postoperative prostate serum antigen values of0.2 ng/ml. Of the 1446 enrolled patients, the biopsy-RALP interval was 2, 4, 6, and > 6 weeks in 145 (10 %), 728 (50.3 %), 1124 (77.7 %), and 322 (22.3 %) patients, respectively. The > 6 week group had a significantly longer mean operation time than the 2, 4, and 6 week groups. The groups did not differ significantly in terms of estimated blood loss or surgical margin status. Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that interval did not significantly affect postoperative BCR-free survival. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards model analysis showed that interval duration was not an independent predictor of BCR (2 vs. > 2 weeks, HR = 0.859, p = 0.474; 4 vs. > 4 weeks, HR = 1.029, p = 0.842; 6 vs. > 6 weeks, HR = 0.84, p = 0.368). Performing RALP within 2, 4, or 6 weeks of biopsy does not appear to adversely influence surgical difficulty or efficacy or oncological outcomes.