Prostate cancer progression after therapy of primary curative intent

BACKGROUND: Radical prostatectomy and radiotherapy (RT), both radical therapies, are the standard treatments of curative intent for early prostate cancer. However, these therapies are not curative in all patients and, consequently, a substantial proportion of treated patients remain at risk of disease progression and/or cancer-related death. METHODS: This article presents contemporary data on the incidence of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and clinical disease progression after primary therapy of curative intent in relation to commonly assessed pretreatment or pathologic disease characteristics. RESULTS: The data highlight the substantial risk of progression for certain patient groups, such as those with Gleason score 8-10, cT3 disease, lymph node metastases, and/or pretreatment PSA levels > 20 ng/mL. CONCLUSIONS: Improved and/or additional treatment options are needed for these patient groups.