Biopsy and Clinical Course After Cryosurgery for Prostatic Cancer

Abstract

Open perineal cryosurgical prostatectomy was reported in 154 consecutive prostatic cancer patients. In 37 of these patients post-cryosurgery biopsies of the prostate were obtained. This tissue was compared to the preoperative biopsies. Well-differentiated cancers were apparently associated with advantageous survival in cryosurgery patients. Lymphoid and eosinophilic cell infiltrates may represent post-cryosurgical local immune responses, with improved survival. Estrogen therapy seemed to suppress this local immune response. One month or more after cryosurgery, cancer in the biopsy correlates with palpable local recurrence but prior to 1 mo. it does not correlate. Cryosurgery by the open perineal approach has been an effective method to eliminate the primary lesion in localized and extensive prostatic cancer.