Urological Oncology Does the Presence of Hypoechoic Lesions on Transrectal Ultrasound Suggest a Poor Prognosis for Patients With Localized Prostate Cancer?

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the value of hypoechoic lesions on transrectal ultrasound (TRUS) as a prognostic factor for patients with localized pros-tate cancer. Materials and Methods: The patients consisted of 71 patients with pT2N0M0 disease following radical prostatectomy between 2002 and 2008. The group with hypoechoic lesions was labeled group 1, whereas the group without hypoechoic lesions was labeled group 2. The presence of hypoechoic lesions on preoperative TRUS was analyzed as a prognostic factor along with several parameters, including preoperative factors and pathologic factors. The biochemical progression-free survival (BPFS) rate was com-pared between the two groups according to the presence of hypoechoic lesions on TRUS. Results: A total of 35 patients had hypoechoic lesions on TRUS, whereas 36 had no hypo-echoic lesions. Preoperative baseline characteristics were not significantly different be-tween the two groups. In the univariate analysis, BPFS showed significant differences according to the presence of hypoechoic lesions on TRUS and the preoperative pros-tate-specific antigen level. The BPFS rates over the first 24 months were 97.0 % in grou