Background-We previously reported the learning curve for open radical prostatectomy, defined in terms of prostate cancer recurrence. We sought to characterize the learning curve for laparoscopic radical prostatectomy.

Purpose It is not yet possible to estimate the number of cases required for a beginner to become expert in laparoscopic radical prostatectomy. We estimated the learning curve of laparoscopic radical prostatectomy for positive surgical margins compared to a published learning curve for open radical prostatectomy. Materials and Methods We reviewed records from 8,544 consecutive patients with prostate cancer treated laparoscopically by 51 surgeons at 14 academic institutions in Europe and the United States. The probability of a positive surgical margin was calculated as a function of surgeon experience with adjustment for pathological stage, Gleason score and prostate specific antigen. A second model incorporated prior experience with open radical prostatectomy and surgeon generation. Results Positive surgical margins occurred in 1,862 patients (22%). There was an apparent improvement in surgical margin rates up to a plateau at 200 to 250 surgeries. Changes in margin rates once this plateau was reached were relatively minimal relative to the CIs. The absolute risk difference for 10 vs 250 prior surgeries was 4.8% (95% CI 1.5, 8.5). Neither surgeon generation nor prior open radical prostatectomy experience was statistically significant when added to the model. The rate of decrease in positive surgical margins was more rapid in the open vs laparoscopic learning curve. Conclusions The learning curve for surgical margins after laparoscopic radical prostatectomy plateaus at approximately 200 to 250 cases. Prior open experience and surgeon generation do not improve the margin rate, suggesting that the rate is primarily a function of specifically laparoscopic training and experience.

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What's known on the subject? and What does the study add?• Laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (LRP) has shown good oncological short-term and mid-term outcomes, but long-term outcomes are still lacking.• We present long-term oncological outcomes of LRP in a large cohort of patients operated on in one of the pioneering European centres. The data from the present study show high rates of biochemical and clinical recurrence-free survival and low cancer-specific mortality compared with open series. Objectives• To investigate long-term oncological outcomes after laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (LRP).• To identify parameters influencing recurrence-free survival in a single-institution series. Patients and Methods• All patients underwent LRP using the transperitoneal retrograde Heilbronn technique. High-risk patients received adjuvant treatment according to an institutional algorithm based on prostate-specific antigen (PSA), Gleason score, tumour-node-metastasis stage, margin status and tumour volume.• Data were collected prospectively on operative and postoperative parameters beginning in 1999. Complete follow-up data of 370 of the first 500 consecutive patients are available.• Biochemical recurrence was defined as two consecutive PSA levels <0.2 ng/mL within the follow-up period.• Kaplan-Meier estimates and Cox regression were applied to examine recurrence-free survival times. Results• The estimated biochemical recurrence-free survival (BCRFS) rates 10 years after LRP were 80.2% in patients staged pT2, 47.4% in those staged pT3a and 49.8% in those staged pT3b/4, confirming a better prognosis in patients with organ-confined disease (P < 0.001).• In the multivariate Cox regression analysis, only Gleason score and pT stage significantly influenced BCRFS.• The 10-year clinical progression-free survival rates were 97.2% (pT2), 84.4% (pT3a) and 78.1% (pT3b/4), and prostate cancer-specific survival estimates were 100% (pT2), 97.3% (pT3a) and 90.6% (pT3b/4). Conclusions• The 10-year biochemical and clinical progression-free survival after LRP combined with a risk-adapted concept of adjuvant therapy is high, while prostate-cancer specific mortality is low. Our data shows no negative impact of laparoscopic techniques on oncologic outcomes compared to large series after retropubic radical prostatectomy.• In a multivariate Cox regression, only Gleason score and pT stage had significant impact on BCRFS.

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