How long should urologists observe patients with prostate cancer after radical prostatectomy? Weibull analysis

Objectives There is no recommended observation time for patients who have undergone radical prostatectomy for prostate cancer. This study was undertaken to determine the postoperative observation time by investigating the hazard rate for prostate‐specific antigen failure and other‐cause death using Weibull analysis. Methods We included 612 patients who underwent laparoscopic radical prostatectomy for localized prostate cancer between June 2002 and December 2017. Risk classification was categorized by the D’Amico risk classification, and the patients were divided into three age groups: 25 years of postsurgical observation. Conclusions The observation time after laparoscopic radical prostatectomy could be estimated by comparing the estimated hazard rates of prostate‐specific antigen failure and other‐cause death based on Weibull analysis. Urologists should pay attention to age and risk classifications for optimal postoperative observation.