Walz Nomogram Secondary Circulating Prostate Cells for Predicting Early Biochemical Failure in Prostate Cancer Cases

After radical prostatectomy for prostate cancer approximately 25-30% of patients will eventually experience a biochemical failure, defined as a total serum PSA of >0.2ng/ml (Hull et al., 2002; Porter et al., 2006). Two thirds of these biochemical failures will occur in the first two years and implies a biologically more aggressive disease and poorer prognosis (Dilloglugil et al, 1997). This may be due to the presence of micrometastatic disease not detected by conventional testing or from locally advanced disease (Dilloglugil et al, 1997; Pound et al, 1999; Freedland et al., 2005). Early biochemical failure is associated with a higher rate of metastatic progression and increased cancer specific mortality (Pound et al, 1999; Freedland et al., 2006). Walz et al (2009). produced a