[Half-life of blood PSA after radical prostatectomy. Correlations with pathological stage and clinical course of the disease].

: PSA half-life was calculated in 37 patients after radical prostatectomy to identify earlier patients with residual disease. The half-life calculated in patients potentially "cured" with absolute PSA values inferior to 0.5 ng/ml after 28 days, was significantly different (P = 0.0008) from the group of patients "uncured" (PSA > 1.0 ng/ml) and from those ones that, despite of detectable PSA level, had evidence of recurrence in the following follow-up. In comparison with the absolute value, the PSA half-life is able to define in the group of patients potentially "cured" those who could have a recurrence in the future.