Place of the free PSA/total PSA ratio in staging of localized prostate cancer, based on a series of 50 radical prostatectomies.

Objective; To refine the pretreatment staging of localized prostate cancers , Material and Method : Prospective study on 50 total prostatectomy specimens from men with apparently prostate-confined adenocarcinoma. Preoperative as say of the free PSA/total PSA ratio and analysis of this ratio according to the presence of capsular effraction, capsular invasion and positive margin s. Results : Significant difference of this ratio according to the presence or absence of capsular effraction (13.2% versus 18.9%), capsular invasion (12 .4% versus 17.5%) and positive margins (11.6% versus 16.3%). Conclusion : The free PSA/total PSA ratio cart be useful for staging of pro state cancer, but this needs to be confirmed by a large-scale prospective s tudy.