Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels prior to radical prostatectomy (RP) may predict tumor aggressiveness in prostate cancer patients with diabetes, Korean researchers reported in The Prostate (2009;69:820-826).
They reviewed data on 740 patients who underwent RP for clinically localized prostate cancer.
Among the 89 diabetic patients, those with a preoperative HbA1c level of 6.5% or higher had significantly increased rates of extraprostatic extension and pathologic Gleason scores of 7 or above compared with those whose HbA1c level was below 6.5%.
