Low-dose-rate brachytherapy and long-term treatment outcomes in patients younger than 60 years of age.

Purpose: Low-dose-rate (LDR) brachytherapy in young men remains controversial amongst urologists due to their concerns regarding long-term biochemical control and treatment-related toxicities. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the treatment outcomes of men under 60 years of age who underwent LDR brachytherapy with iodine-125 (125I) for clinically localized low- to intermediate-risk prostate cancer. Material and methods: All consecutive patients with clinically localized prostate cancer treated at our institution from 2003 to 2016 with 125I monotherapy were included in the study. Prescription dose was 145.0 Gy modified peripheral loading (MPD). All patients were assessed for biochemical progression-free survival using Phoenix definition (nadir +2 ng/ml), clinical progression-free survival, overall survival (OS), and any associated treatment toxicity. Results: A total of 161 patients were included, with a median follow-up of 6.8 years (range, 3-14.54 years). Median age at implant was 57 years (range, 53-59 years). Mean prostate specific antigen (PSA) level at diagnosis was 4.43 ng/ml (SD = 2.29). Majority of men had low-risk prostate cancer (70.2%). Biochemical progression-free survival at 8 years was 94% for the entire cohort. Median PSA at 4 years was 0.169 (IQR, 0.096-0.360), with 45% of patients having a PSA greater than 0.2. OS was 96.9%, with 5 deaths reported but only one was secondary to prostate cancer. Late grade > 2 genitourinary toxicities were reported in 18 patients (11.2%). Three patients (1.9%) developed secondary cancers, all considered unrelated to their LDR brachytherapy. Conclusions: With excellent long-term treatment outcomes and minimal associated toxicities, our results showed that LDR brachytherapy can be an effective treatment of choice in younger men.

PSMA-PET Detection of Unusual Metastases in Castrate-Sensitive Prostate Carcinoma.

ABSTRACT: Prostate cancer (PCa) is a multifaceted, heterogeneous disease (with 7 molecular subtypes), which can metastasize to common sites, such as bone, lymph nodes, liver, and lungs. However, with PSMA PET imaging, rare sites of metastasis are increasingly discovered. We report 5 cases of unusual metastases in patients with castrate-sensitive PCa: solitary right inguinal nodal metastasis, solitary abdominal wall metastasis, penile shaft metastases, solitary perineum metastasis, and pleural metastases. These cases further support the use of PSMA-PET imaging in PCa monitoring, with the ability to detect solitary, small volume, and rare sites of metastases, which may not be apparent on conventional imaging.

Does institutional patient accrual volume impact overall survival in patients with inoperable non-small-cell lung cancer receiving radical (chemo)radiation? A secondary analysis of TROG 99.05.

INTRODUCTION: Increased hospital patient volume, reflecting greater experience, has been shown to be associated with improved survival for some cancers. However, there is no evidence to support the volume-outcome hypothesis for inoperable non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients within the Australasian setting. We examined the relationship between overall survival (OS) and institutional patient accrual volume (IPAV) in a large prospective Australasian NSCLC database (TROG 99.05). METHODS: TROG 99.05 was an observational study which accrued patients from 1999 to 2007 to examine the relationship between primary lung cancer volume and survival. To be eligible for inclusion, patients had to have inoperable, biopsy-proven NSCLC planned for radiotherapy to a minimum dose of 50Gy in 20 fractions, with or without chemotherapy. Participating institutions were de-identified and grouped according to whether accrual was low, medium or high. OS was compared between groups and adjusted for prognostic factors using Cox regression. RESULTS: About 509 patients were accrued from 16 centres. Median potential follow-up time was 60 months. Median survival for all groups was 20 months (95% CI 18.3-21.8 months). There were no statistically significant differences in OS with increasing patient accrual across the three groups after adjustment for prognostic factors (P = 0.84, 2 df). The hazard ratios (HR) for group accrual volumes, relative to that for high-accrual volume, were as follows: low, 1.18; medium, 1.14. Test for trend: HR = 0.91 per group (95% CI 0.76-1.09, P = 0.31). CONCLUSION: In the setting of a clinical trial with rigorous quality assurance, we found no evidence for an association between institutional accrual and survival.