The prognostic role of preoperative chromogranin A expression in prostate cancer after radical prostatectomy.

Abstract PURPOSES: The aim was to analyze the prognostic role of preoperative chromogranin A CgA) as a marker of poor prognosis and recurrence after radical prostatectomy (RP) and to find a correlation with the other well known prognostic variables. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study comprises 306 patients with prostate cancer prospectively recruited who underwent RP from between 2000 and 2005. A blood sample for the determination of serum preoperative CgA value was obtained in all cases. Spearman correlation test was used to compare CgA to other variables, Kruskal-Wallis test to analyze CgA differences among > or = 3 groups (PSA, GS, Stage), Mann-Whitney test for 2 grouping variables. Survival analysis was estimated by Kaplan-Meier method, log-rank test to estimate differences among the analyzed variables. RESULTS: Median CgA level was 68 ng/ml. Correlation between age and CgA levels was positive and statistically significant (p < 0.001). Patient were divided in 2 groups based on median age.The difference was statistically significant (p = 0.002). Comparison of CgA among patients grouped according to other variables and patient stratified on normal (123 ng/ml) and cut-off value (68 ng/ml) of CgA did not achieve significant risk stratification. CONCLUSION: Studies on a possible prognostic role of CgA have provided conflicting results. In our series we found a significant positive correlation between CgA and age, but no significant statistical correlation with other available variables analyzed