Prognostic significance of transrectal fine-needle aspiration biopsy findings after orchiectomy for carcinoma of the prostate

In 48 patients with prostatic carcinoma two types of cell patterns were found at fine-needle aspiration biopsy at follow-up 6 and 12 months after orchiectomy: (1) unmodified carcinoma cells or (2) carcinoma cells with regressive changes. Objective clinical regression at 36 months was significantly more frequent in patients with regressively transformed cancer cells at 6 and/or 12 months than in patients with unmodified carcinoma cells: 73 and 32%, respectively. Ten percent of the patients with regressively transformed carcinoma cells and 41% of the patients with unmodified cancer cells died of prostatic carcinoma. The cytologic findings at 6 and/or 12 months after orchiectomy is thus of importance for predicting the prognosis.