European journal of surgical oncology : the journal of the European Society of Surgical Oncology and the British Association of Surgical Oncology
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Comparative Study Clinical Trial Controlled Clinical Trial
Is preoperative transrectal ultrasonography of value in localised prostatic carcinoma? A blind comparative study between preoperative transrectal ultrasonography and the histopathological radical prostatectomy specimen.
Digital rectal examination (DRE) for staging is subjective and unreliable. Understaging has been reported in 25-72% and clinical overstaging of T3 tumors varies from 24-50%. In the present study of 15 patients, transrectal ultrasound (TRUS) staging was compared, in a blind comparative fashion, with pathological staging of the surgical specimen. ⋯ If capsular perforation was considered, the sensitivity and specificity of TRUS are 43% and 91%, respectively. Sensitivity and specificity for seminal vesicle tumor involvement by TRUS was 63% and 86%. Using TRUS the overall staging was improved by 33% compared with DRE and therefore TRUS is considered to be a valuable acquisition in localising and staging prostate cancer.