Most reassuring, thanks.

Well, my name is Steve, but most people call me... Steve. <g>

Steve S

Your daughter sounds very smart.

My understanding is that prostate cells cannot normally survive
outside the prostate.  The same is true for cells from other
organs.  They are adapted to the special conditions of the
organ they reside in.  That's one reason why prostate cancer
cells can grow for years and years before they successfully
escape the prostate and metastasize.  Such cells apparently
do make it into the blood stream, but do not survive outside
the prostate.

Tumor cells accumulate genetic damage over time, often
becoming more and more malignant, less and less constrained
by the conditions that constrain normal cells.  So it may well
be that early stage prostate cancer, even if it were spread to
other parts of the body, would not establish itself and
metastasize.

   Alan

Of course tumor tracking within the prostate is different than
metastasizing to other parts of the body...Ron

J Urol. 1991 May;145(5):1003-7

Needle biopsy associated tumor tracking of adenocarcinoma of the
prostate.

Bastacky SS, Walsh PC, Epstein JI.

Department of Urology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine,
Baltimore, Maryland.

We reviewed 350 previously biopsied completely submitted clinical stage
B radical prostatectomy specimens resected between January 1, 1987 and
December 31, 1988 in an attempt to identify the incidence of needle
biopsy associated tumor tracking into periprostatic soft tissue. We
identified 7 cases (2.0%) of needle biopsy associated tumor tracking, 3
in which the only tumor penetration in the gland was limited to the
needle track. The maximal soft tissue extension from the biopsy site
ranged from 0.1 to 1.2 cm. and approached the nearest soft tissue
margin to within 0.5 mm. in 4 cases. In contrast to prior reports
showing clinically evident tracking only with transperineal biopsies
from high grade tumors, 6 of our 7 cases were of intermediate grade (in
the glandular and tracking components) and 6 had transrectal biopsies.
Needle biopsy associated tumor tracking occurred with core (14 gauge)
and biopsy gun needles (18 gauge). An additional 13 cases (3.7%) showed
some features of needle biopsy associated tumor tracking but they were
equivocal. These findings have significant implications in light of
recent proposals advocating serial mapping of prostate cancer using the
biopsy gun with potential conservative observation of smaller tumors.

J Surg Oncol. 1987 Jul;35(3):184-91

Seeding and perineal implantation of prostatic cancer in the track of
the biopsy needle: three case reports and a review of the literature.

Haddad FS, Somsin AA.

Several months (an average of 12.86 months) after perineal needling of
the cancerous prostate for the purpose of obtaining tissue for biopsy,
a tumor nodule becomes clinically evident in the subcutaneous tissue of
the perineum, at the site of the needling in 0.34% of the cases. This
nodule presents the same histological picture as the biopsy of the
prostatic tumor. This is a review of 15 such cases (12 collected from
the literature and an additional three unpublished cases, two of which
are personal observations). At the time of needling, no metastases
could be clinically detected in any of the patients; the serum acid
phosphatase was normal in 73% of them. The average age of the patients
was 65.66 years. The perineal nodule was tender in 40% of the cases;
its average size was 2.5 cm. Excision of the nodule was the most
frequently employed form of management. At the time of reporting, 60%
of the patients were living and well, for an average of 18.56 months
after excision. In order to prevent perineal implantation, especially
in patients who are at risk, it is suggested that a fine needle be
employed to obtain prostatic tissue for biopsy, and that every possible
therapeutic effort be made.

PMID: 3298860