Impact of location and multifocality of positive surgical margins on disease-free survival following radical prostatectomy: A comparison between African-American and white men

Objectives. Although the rate of positive surgical margins is higher in Afr ican-American men (AAM) than in white men (WM), the impact of this differen ce on survival is not clear. Furthermore, it is unknown whether there are r acial differences in the distribution of the positive surgical margins afte r radical retropubic prostatectomy (RRP). We investigated the differences b etween AAM and WM in terms of the site and multifocality of the positive su rgical margins and their effect on disease-free survival (DFS) following RR P. Methods. Between January 1991 and December 1995, 493 patients (288 WM and 2 05 AAM) were treated with RRP as monotherapy. Positive surgical margins wer e observed in 179 patients (86 WM and 93 AAM). Patients were divided in two groups: group 1 = WM and group 2 = AAM. The incidence and location of the positive surgical margins and their correlation with DFS were determined an d compared. Results. Overall, AAM had a higher rate of positive surgical margins than W M (48% versus 33%, respectively, P = 0.001). There was no significant diffe rence in the frequency of multifocality of the positive margins (P = 0.4). Positive Surgical margins were located significantly more often at the base in AAM (P = 0.015); however, the location of the positive surgical margins did not impact on DFS between groups. In those with multifocal positive su rgical margins, AAM had a worse DFS compared with WM (P = 0.03). Conclusions. Race is an independent prognostic factor for DFS in patients w ith positive surgical margins. There were no differences in DFS between WM and AAM based on the margin location. In WM, prognostic factors for DFS in those with positive surgical margins were preoperative serum prostate-speci fic antigen, Gleason score, and pathologic stage. Conversely, in AAM none o f these parameters were significant predictors of failure. UROLOGY 55: 899- 903, 2000. (C) 2000, Elsevier Science Inc.