Preliminary patient-reported outcomes analysis of 3-dimensional radiation therapy versus intensity-modulated radiation therapy on the high-dose arm of the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) 0126 prostate cancer trial.

BACKGROUND: The authors analyzed a preliminary report of patient-reported outcomes (PROs) among men who received high-dose radiation therapy (RT) on Radiation Therapy Oncology Group study 0126 (a phase 3 dose-escalation trial) with either 3-dimensional conformal RT (3D-CRT) or intensity-modulated RT (IMRT). METHODS: Patients in the 3D-CRT group received 55.8 gray (Gy) to the prostate and proximal seminal vesicles and were allowed an optional field reduction; then, they received 23.4 Gy to the prostate only. Patients in the IMRT group received 79.2 Gy to the prostate and proximal seminal vesicles. PROs were assessed at 0 months (baseline), 3 months, 6 months, 12 months, and 24 months and included bladder and bowel function assessed with the Functional Alterations due to Changes in Elimination (FACE) instrument and erectile function assessed with the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF). Analyses included the patients who completed all data at baseline and for at least 1 follow-up assessment, and the results were compared with an imputed data set. RESULTS: Of 763 patients who were randomized to the 79.2-Gy arm, 551 patients and 595 patients who responded to the FACE instrument and 505 patients and 577 patients who responded to the IIEF were included in the completed and imputed analyses, respectively. There were no significant differences between modalities for any of the FACE or IIEF subscale scores or total scores at any time point for either the completed data set or the imputed data set. CONCLUSIONS: Despite significant reductions in dose and volume to normal structures using IMRT, this robust analysis of 3D-CRT and IMRT demonstrated no difference in patient-reported bowel, bladder, or sexual functions for similar doses delivered to the prostate and proximal seminal vesicles with IMRT compared with 3D-CRT delivered either to the prostate and proximal seminal vesicles or to the prostate alone.

A phase II study of external beam radiotherapy combined with permanent source brachytherapy for intermediate-risk, clinically localized adenocarcinoma of the prostate: preliminary results of RTOG P-0019.

PURPOSE: To estimate the rate of acute and late Grade 3-5 genitourinary and gastrointestinal toxicity after treatment with external beam radiotherapy and permanent source brachytherapy in a multi-institutional, cooperative group setting. METHODS AND MATERIALS: All patients were treated with external beam radiotherapy (45 Gy in 25 fractions), followed 2-6 weeks later by an interstitial implant using 125I to deliver an additional 108 Gy. Late genitourinary toxicity was graded according to the Common Toxicity Criteria Version 2.0, and the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group/European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer late radiation morbidity scoring system was used for all other toxicity. RESULTS: A total of 138 patients from 28 institutions were entered on this study. Acute toxicity information was available in 131 patients, and 127 patients were analyzable for late toxicity. Acute Grade 3 toxicity was documented in 10 of 131 patients (7.6%). No Grade 4 or 5 acute toxicity has been observed. The 18-month month estimate of late Grade 3 genitourinary and gastrointestinal toxicity was 3.3% (95% confidence interval, 0.1-6.5). No late Grade 4 or 5 toxicity has been observed. CONCLUSIONS: The acute and late morbidity observed in this multi-institutional, cooperative group study is consistent with previous reports from single institutions with significant prostate brachytherapy experience.

A descriptive analysis of postimplant dosimetric parameters from Radiation Therapy Oncology Group P0019.

BACKGROUND: To date, there are few descriptive analyses of postimplant dosimetry from multi-institutional clinical trials. The purpose of this report is to describe the postimplant dosimetry achieved in Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) 0019. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Patients were treated with external beam radiation therapy (45 Gy/25 fractions) followed by a prostate implant (I-125, prescription dose 108 Gy). Postimplant dosimetric assessment was accomplished by obtaining a CT scan of the prostate 1 month after the date of the implant procedure. Prostate volume was outlined by the first author. Dose-volume histograms were calculated by the Radiologic Physics Center. Four dosimetric quantifiers (DQs) were examined: D90 is the dose (reported as percentage of the prescription dose) received by 90% of the prostate; V100, V150, V200 is the percentage of the prostate volume receiving 100%, 150%, and 200% of the prescription dose, respectively. For the purposes of analysis, institutions were divided into three groups according to accrual (<5, 6-9, 10-12). RESULTS: One hundred thirty-eight patients from 27 institutions were registered in the study. Nineteen patients were excluded from this analysis; 14 who had no data and 5 who were ineligible, leaving 119 for analysis. The mean, median, and range of the four DQs are as follows: D90 105.6%, 106.0%, 57.6-174.8%; V100 89.8%, 92.6%, 11.2-100%; V150 58.4%, 59.6%, 0.9-93.7%; and V200 27.9%, 25.1%, 0.3-85.2%. Statistically significant differences according to institutional accrual were observed for D90 (p = 0.0283) and V200 (p = 0.0075), but not for V100 (p = 0.1534) and V150 (p = 0.0509). CONCLUSIONS: The DQ observed in this multi-institutional prospective study are roughly comparable to series from single institutions with considerable brachytherapy experience. Differences in DQs were observed according to institutional accrual. These data could be used to determine a community standard with respect to postimplant dosimetry.

Quality assurance methods for the first Radiation Therapy Oncology Group permanent prostate implant protocol.

PURPOSE: To report the quality assurance methodology used by the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group in the first cooperative group, multi-institution Phase II trial of transrectal ultrasound guided permanent radioactive implantation of the prostate for definitive treatment of localized adenocarcinoma of the prostate. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Participating institutions were credentialed to participate in this protocol, Radiation Therapy Oncology Group 98-05. International Commission on Radiation Units and Measurements (ICRU) Report 58 was used as the basis for definition of terms. The AAPM's dosimetric prerequisites for low energy interstitial brachytherapy sources were adopted. A nondigital approach to central review was used. The implant dosimetry was recalculated based upon centrally reviewed target volumes by both a radiation oncologist and a diagnostic radiologist. RESULTS: There are differences in the definition of the postimplant prostate between the participating institution, the central review radiation oncologist, and the central review diagnostic radiologist. Thus, there are differences in dose/volume parameters. Six of the 95 patients reviewed did not meet the per protocol criteria based upon information supplied by the participating institution. This increased to 18 cases when using the postimplant target volume defined by the central oncologist and to 23 cases when defined by the radiologist. CONCLUSIONS: This work indicated that there is a need for a central review process of dose-volume analysis within the cooperative group setting. It is indicated that a digital approach to centralized review, which has now been developed, would result in a higher quality and easier review.

Dose planning management of patients undergoing salvage whole brain radiation therapy after radiosurgery.

Dose or treatment planning management is necessary for the re-irradiation of intracranial relapses after focal irradiation, radiosurgery, or stereotactic radiotherapy. The current clinical guidelines for metastatic brain tumors are the use of focal irradiation if the patient presents with 4 lesions or less. Salvage treatments with the use of whole brain radiation therapy (WBRT) can then be used to limit disease progression if there is an intracranial relapse. However, salvage WBRT poses a number of challenges in dose planning to limit disease progression and preserve neurocognitive function. This work presents the dose planning management that addresses a method of delineating previously treated volumes, dose level matching, and the dose delivery techniques for WBRT.

Health-related quality of life in men receiving prostate brachytherapy on RTOG 98-05.

PURPOSE: To prospectively assess health-related quality of life (HRQOL) during the first year after treatment with prostate brachytherapy (PB) alone for T1c-2a prostate cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ninety-eight patients from 24 institutions were eligible and properly entered on this study. All patients were treated with PB alone using I-125 (Oncura Model 6711). The prescription dose was 145 Gy. Three separate health-related quality of life questionnaires (HRQOL) (Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Prostate [FACT-P], Sexual Adjustment Questionnaire [SAQ], and International Prostate Symptom Score [IPSS]) were self-administered before and after PB (baseline; 3, 6, 9, and 12 months after PB). The standard error of the mean (SEM) was used to analyze changes in HRQOL scores over time. Patients who improved greater than the SEM were categorized as improved; patients that declined greater than the SEM were categorized as declined; patients were otherwise categorized as stable. All changes are measured using the pretreatment HRQOL score as baseline. RESULTS: The percentage of men who reported the ability to have an erection decreased from 73% at baseline (65% unassisted, 8% assisted) to 57% at 1 year (36% unassisted, 21% assisted). The rate of urinary incontinence increased to 14% at 6 months but had decreased to 1% at the 12-month follow-up. At 1 year after PB, 80% of men reported decreased sexual functioning according to SAQ scores. More than 60% of men reported decreased urinary function at 12 months compared with baseline. CONCLUSIONS: This article represents the first prospective, multi-institutional study of HRQOL in men treated with PB and demonstrates that patients undergoing PB have a very high overall HRQOL. The rate of incontinence by 1 year after PB is low, but many patients continue to have obstructive symptoms at 1 year. Although 78% of 1-year respondents state that they can achieve an erection with or without assistance, almost 50% report a decrease in sexual function.

Long-term results of an RTOG Phase II trial (00-19) of external-beam radiation therapy combined with permanent source brachytherapy for intermediate-risk clinically localized adenocarcinoma of the prostate.

PURPOSE: External-beam radiation therapy combined with low-doserate permanent brachytherapy are commonly used to treat men with localized prostate cancer. This Phase II trial was performed to document late gastrointestinal or genitourinary toxicity as well as biochemical control for this treatment in a multi-institutional cooperative group setting. This report defines the long-term results of this trial. METHODS AND MATERIALS: All eligible patients received external-beam radiation (45 Gy in 25 fractions) followed 2-6 weeks later by a permanent iodine 125 implant of 108 Gy. Late toxicity was defined by the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group/European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer late radiation morbidity scoring scheme. Biochemical control was defined by the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ASTRO) Consensus definition and the ASTRO Phoenix definition. RESULTS: One hundred thirty-eight patients were enrolled from 20 institutions, and 131 were eligible. Median follow-up (living patients) was 8.2 years (range, 2.7-9.3 years). The 8-year estimate of late grade >3 genitourinary and/or gastrointestinal toxicity was 15%. The most common grade >3 toxicities were urinary frequency, dysuria, and proctitis. There were two grade 4 toxicities, both bladder necrosis, and no grade 5 toxicities. In addition, 42% of patients complained of grade 3 impotence (no erections) at 8 years. The 8-year estimate of biochemical failure was 18% and 21% by the Phoenix and ASTRO consensus definitions, respectively. CONCLUSION: Biochemical control for this treatment seems durable with 8 years of follow-up and is similar to high-dose external beam radiation alone or brachytherapy alone. Late toxicity in this multi-institutional trial is higher than reports from similar cohorts of patients treated with high-dose external-beam radiation alone or permanent low-doserate brachytherapy alone, perhaps suggesting further attention to strategies that limit doses to normal structures or to unimodal radiotherapy techniques.

Late toxicity and biochemical recurrence after external-beam radiotherapy combined with permanent-source prostate brachytherapy: analysis of Radiation Therapy Oncology Group study 0019.

BACKGROUND: The combination of external-beam radiotherapy and brachytherapy is used commonly to treat men with prostate cancer. In this analysis, the authors examined the rate of biochemical recurrence (BR) and late grade > or =3 genitourinary (GU) and gastrointestinal (GI) toxicity after treatment with external-beam radiotherapy and brachytherapy in a multiinstitutional, cooperative group setting. METHODS: All eligible patients received external-beam radiotherapy (45 Gray [Gy] in 25 fractions) followed 2 to 6 weeks later by an interstitial implant using iodine-125 to deliver an additional 108 Gy. BR was defined in 2 ways: according to the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ASTRO) Consensus Definition (ACD) and according to the Phoenix definition (PD) (prostate-specific antigen nadir +2 ng/mL). The Radiation Therapy Oncology Group(RTOG)/European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer late radiation morbidity scoring system was used to grade all toxicity. RESULTS: One hundred thirty-eight patients were enrolled, and 130 were eligible for the current analysis. The median follow-up for surviving patients was 49 months (range, 20-60 months). The 48-month estimate of late grade > or =3 GU/GI toxicity was 15% (95% confidence interval [95% CI], 8-21%), and the 48-month estimate of BR was 19% (95% CI, 12-26%) and 14% (95% CI, 8-20%) according to the ACD and PD, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The morbidity observed in this multiinstitutional, cooperative group study was slightly higher than that reported in recent RTOG studies using brachytherapy alone or high-dose external-beam radiotherapy. The BR rate observed in this report was similar to that observed with high-dose external-beam radiotherapy alone in similar patients.