Role of neoadjuvant treatment in clinically confined prostate cancer

Objective: This prospective, randomized, multicenter comparative trial stud ied the effect of neoadjuvant hormonal treatment (NHT) prior to radical pro statectomy. Methods: Histopathologic tissue specimens were obtained from 91 consecutive patients (aged 60-70 years) who underwent a radical prostatect omy for stage B prostate adenocarcinoma, The patients had received NHT for three months, Specimens were compared with those from 48 age-matched contro l patients who underwent similar surgery for stage B disease without receiv ing preoperative therapy, Results: Treated tumors with an aci-nar pattern w ere distinguishable from the untreated tumors by neoplastic acini that appe ared shrunken and areas of individual infiltrating tumor cells separated by an abundant interglandular connective tissue. The epithelial tumor cells h ad inconspicuous nucleoli, nuclear shrinkage, chromatin condensation and py knosis, cytoplasmic clearing, and enlargement by coalescence of vacuoles an d rupture of cell membranes, No mitotic figures were seen in any treated tu mors, Conclusions: Preliminary results show a benefit for patients receivin g NHT in regard to the histologic indicators that we evaluated.