The Clinical Impact of Unilateral Versus Bilateral Invasion Into the Seminal Vesicle in Patients With Prostate Cancer Undergoing Radical Prostatectomy

Accuracy of MRI in detecting seminal vesicle invasion in prostate cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE

To determine the diagnostic test accuracy of multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (mpMRI) in detecting seminal vesicle invasion (SVI).

METHODS

The Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online (MEDLINE), PubMed, the Excerpta Medica dataBASE (EMBASE) and Cochrane databases were search up to May 2023. We included studies that investigated the accuracy of mpMRI in detecting SVI when compared to radical prostatectomy specimens as the reference standard. Data extraction was performed by two independent reviewers to construct 2 × 2 tables, as well as patient and study characteristics. The methodological quality of the included studies was assessed with the Quality of Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies-2 tool. Sensitivity and specificity were pooled and presented graphically with summary receiver operator characteristic (SROC) plots.

RESULTS

A total of 27 articles with 4862 patients were included for analysis. The summary sensitivity and specificity were 0.57 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.45-0.68) and 0.95 (95% CI 0.92-0.99), respectively. Meta-regression indicated that there was no evidence that coil strength (P = 0.079), coil type (P = 0.589), year of publication (P = 0.503) or use of the Prostate Imaging-Reporting and Data System (P = 0.873) significantly influenced these results. The summary diagnostic odds ratio was 28.3 (95% CI 15.0-48.8) and the area under the curve for the SROC curve was 0.87. The I2 statistic was a modest 11.9%. In general, methodological quality was good.

CONCLUSION

The use of mpMRI in detecting SVI has excellent specificity but poor sensitivity. Both endorectal coils and magnetic field strength do not significantly impact the accuracy of MRI. These findings suggest that mpMRI cannot reliably rule out SVI in patients with prostate cancer.

Bilateral Seminal Vesicle Invasion as a Strong Prognostic Indicator in T3b Prostate Cancer Patients Following Radical Prostatectomy: A Comprehensive, Multicenter, Long-term Follow-up Study

PURPOSE

Pathologic T3b (pT3b) prostate cancer, characterized by seminal vesicle invasion (SVI), exhibits variable oncological outcomes post-radical prostatectomy (RP). Identifying prognostic factors is crucial for patient-specific management. This study investigates the impact of bilateral SVI on prognosis in pT3b prostate cancer.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We evaluated the medical records of a multi-institutional cohort of men who underwent RP for prostate cancer with SVI between 2000 and 2012. Univariate and multivariable analyses were performed using Kaplan-Meier analysis and covariate-adjusted Cox proportional hazard regression for biochemical recurrence (BCR), clinical progression (CP), and cancer-specific survival (CSS).

RESULTS

Among 770 men who underwent RP without neo-adjuvant treatment, median follow-up was 85.7 months. Patients with bilateral SVI had higher preoperative prostate-specific antigen levels and clinical T category (all p < 0.001). Extracapsular extension, tumor volume, lymph node metastasis (p < 0.001), pathologic Gleason grade group (p < 0.001), and resection margin positivity (p < 0.001) were also higher in patients with bilateral SVI. The 5-, 10-, and 15-year BCR-free survival rates were 23.9%, 11.7%, and 8.5%; CP-free survival rates were 82.8%, 62.5%, and 33.4%; and CSS rates were 96.4%, 88.1%, and 69.5%, respectively. The bilateral SVI group demonstrated significantly lower BCR-free survival rates, CP-free survival rates, and CSS rates (all p < 0.001). Bilateral SVI was independently associated with BCR (hazard ratio, 1.197; 95% confidence interval, p=0.049), CP (p=0.022), and CSS (p=0.038) in covariate-adjusted Cox regression.

CONCLUSION

Bilateral SVI is a robust, independent prognostic factor for poor oncological outcomes in pT3b prostate cancer.

Prostate Cancer Risk Stratification by Simple Scoring of the Current pT3 Lesions: A Proposal for a New Pathologic T-Staging System

Cancer spread beyond the prostate, including extraprostatic extension (other than seminal vesicle or bladder invasion; EPE)/microscopic bladder neck invasion and seminal vesicle invasion (SVI) currently classified as pT3a and pT3b lesions, respectively, does not uniformly indicate poor oncologic outcomes. Accurate risk stratification of current pT3 disease is therefore required. We herein further determined the prognostic impact of these histopathologic lesions routinely assessed and reported by pathologists, particularly their combinations. We assessed consecutive 2892 patients undergoing radical prostatectomy for current pT2 (n = 1692), pT3a (n = 956), or pT3b (n = 244) disease at our institution between 2009 and 2018. Based on our preliminary findings, point(s) were given (1 point to focal EPE, microscopic bladder neck invasion, or unilateral SVI; 2 points to nonfocal/established EPE or bilateral SVI) and summed up in each case. Our cohort had 0 point (n = 1692, 58.5%; P0), 1 point (n = 243, 8.4%; P1), 2 points (n = 657, 22.7%; P2), 3 points (n = 192, 6.6%; P3), 4 points (n = 76, 2.6%; P4), and 5 points (n = 32, 1.1%; P5). Univariate analysis revealed associations of higher points with significantly worse biochemical progression-free survival, particularly when P4 and P5 were combined. In multivariable analysis (P0 as a reference), P1 (hazard ratio [HR], 1.57; P = .033), P2 (HR, 3.25; P < .001), P3 (HR, 4.01; P < .001), and P4 + P5 (HR, 5.99; P < .001) showed significance for the risk of postoperative progression. Meanwhile, Harrell C-indexes for the current pT staging, newly developed point system, and the Cancer of the Prostate Risk Assessment post-Surgical (CAPRA-S) score were 0.727 (95% CI, 0.706-0.748), 0.751 (95% CI, 0.729-0.773), and 0.774 (95% CI, 0.755-0.794), respectively, for predicting progression. We believe our data provide a logical rationale for a novel pathologic T-staging system based on the summed points, pT1a (0 point), pT1b (1 point), pT2 (2 points), pT3a (3 points), and pT3b (4 or 5 points), which more accurately stratifies the prognosis of prostate cancer.

Bilateral Seminal Vesicle Invasion Is Not Associated with Worse Outcomes in Locally Advanced Prostate Carcinoma

Background and Objectives: Patients with seminal vesicle invasion (SVI) are a highly heterogeneous group. Prognosis can be affected by many clinical and pathological characteristics. Our aim was to study whether bilateral SVI (bi-SVI) is associated with worse oncological outcomes. Materials and Methods: This is an observational retrospective study that included 146 pT3b patients treated with radical prostatectomy (RP). We compared the results between unilateral SVI (uni-SVI) and bi-SVI. The log-rank test and Kaplan–Meier curves were used to compare biochemical recurrence-free survival (BCR), metastasis-free survival (MFS), and additional treatment-free survival. Cox proportional hazard models were used to identify predictors of BCR-free survival, MFS, and additional treatment-free survival. Results: 34.93% of patients had bi-SVI. The median follow-up was 46.84 months. No significant differences were seen between the uni-SVI and bi-SVI groups. BCR-free survival at 5 years was 33.31% and 25.65% (p = 0.44) for uni-SVI and bi-SVI. MFS at 5 years was 86.03% vs. 75.63% (p = 0.1), and additional treatment-free survival was 36.85% vs. 21.93% (p = 0.09), respectively. In the multivariate analysis, PSA was related to the development of BCR [HR 1.34 (95%CI: 1.01–1.77); p = 0.03] and metastasis [HR 1.83 (95%CI: 1.13–2.98); p = 0.02]. BCR was also influenced by lymph node infiltration [HR 2.74 (95%CI: 1.41–5.32); p = 0.003]. Additional treatment was performed more frequently in patients with positive margins [HR: 3.50 (95%CI: 1.65–7.44); p = 0.001]. Conclusions: SVI invasion is an adverse pathology feature, with a widely variable prognosis. In our study, bilateral seminal vesicle invasion did not predict worse outcomes in pT3b patients despite being associated with more undifferentiated tumors.