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UCSF-CAPRA Score for Prostate Cancer Risk

Preoperative risk of recurrence after treatment for localized prostate cancer.

UCSF-CAPRA Score for Prostate Cancer Risk
PSA at diagnosis
ng/mL
Biopsy Gleason pattern
Clinical T stage
Age at diagnosis
Percent of biopsy cores positive
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When to use

  • Estimating risk of biochemical recurrence, metastasis, and prostate-cancer-specific mortality at diagnosis, before choice of primary treatment.
  • Comparing risk across treatment modalities (surgery, radiation, active surveillance, ADT) using a single validated preoperative score.

Formula

CAPRA = PSA points (<=6=0, 6.1-10=1, 10.1-20=2, 20.1-30=3, >30=4) + Gleason points (no pattern 4/5=0, secondary pattern 4/5=1, primary pattern 4/5=3) + clinical T stage (T1c-T2a=0, T2b-T3a=1) + age (<50=0, >=50=1) + percent positive biopsy cores (<34%=0, >=34%=1). Range 0-10.

Pearls and pitfalls

  • Validated for recurrence, metastasis, and mortality across surgical and non-surgical primary treatments, including primary androgen-deprivation cohorts.
  • Concordance index in the original derivation was modest (~0.66); use alongside other clinical judgment and updated nomograms.

References

  1. Cooperberg MR, Pasta DJ, Elkin EP, et al. The University of California, San Francisco Cancer of the Prostate Risk Assessment score: a straightforward and reliable preoperative predictor of disease recurrence after radical prostatectomy. J Urol. 2005;173(6):1938-1942.
  2. Cooperberg MR, Broering JM, Carroll PR. Risk assessment for prostate cancer metastasis and mortality at the time of diagnosis. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2009;101(12):878-887.