The prognosis of localized prostate cancer (PCa) following radical treatment is generally favorable, although up to 46% of patients may still experience adverse outcomes. The impact of delayed surgery in intermediate-risk (IR) or high-risk (HR) patients remains under discussion.
This study evaluates its association with oncological outcomes.
Retrospective study of 2296 patients with IR and HR PCa who underwent radical prostatectomy (RP) between 1986 and 2025. Upgrading, upstaging, positive margins, PSA persistence, and lymph node involvement were analyzed. Waiting time was grouped into <3, 3-6, and >6 months.
The median waiting time was 3.5 months. Eighty-five percent of patients were operated on within 6 months. At 5 years, no difference was detected between waiting time and time to biochemical recurrence (BCR) when comparing the <3-month group with the 3-6-month group (HR 0.93; 95% CI 0.76-1.13) and the >6 months group (HR 0.74; 95% CI 0.53-1.04) among IR patients. In HR patients, no differences were observed either: 3-6 months (HR 0.85; 95% CI 0.71-1.01) and >6 months (HR 0.79; 95% CI 0.61-1.03). No increased risk of adverse pathological outcomes was found with longer delays.
A waiting time of ≤6 months was not associated with worse oncological prognosis, supporting its safety in IR or HR PCa.
Actas urologicas espanolas. 2026 Jan 03 [Epub ahead of print]
P de Pablos-Rodríguez, P Guedes Oliva, Á Gómez Ferrer, M Beamud Cortés, A Wong Gutiérrez, C Gutiérrez Castañé, A Calatrava Fons, J Aliaga Patiño, Á García Cortés, J Agustín López, A Collado Serra, V Rodríguez Part, J L Casanova Ramón Borja
Departamento de Urología, Fundación Instituto Valenciano de Oncología, Valencia, Spain. Electronic address: ., Departamento de Urología, Hospital Universitario Dr. Negrín, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain., Departamento de Urología, Fundación Instituto Valenciano de Oncología, Valencia, Spain., Departamento de Anatomía Patológica, Fundación Instituto Valenciano de Oncología, Valencia, Spain.
PubMed http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/41490539