Quality of life after open or robotic prostatectomy, cryoablation or brachytherapy for localized prostate cancer.

PURPOSE: Health related quality of life concerns factor prominently in prostate cancer management. We describe health related quality of life impact and recovery profiles of 4 commonly used operative treatments for localized prostate cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Beginning in February 2000 all patients treated with open radical prostatectomy, robot assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy, brachytherapy or cryotherapy were asked to complete the UCLA-PCI questionnaire before treatment, and at 3, 6, 12, 18, 24, 30 and 36 months after treatment. Outcomes were compared across treatment types with statistical analysis using univariate and multivariate models. RESULTS: A total of 785 patients treated between February 2000 and December 2008 were included in the analysis with a mean followup of 24 months. All health related quality of life domains were adversely affected by all treatments and recovery profiles varied significantly by treatment type. Overall urinary function and bother outcomes scored significantly higher after brachytherapy and cryotherapy compared to open radical prostatectomy and robotic assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy. Brachytherapy and cryotherapy had a 3-fold higher rate of return to baseline urinary function compared to open radical prostatectomy and robotic assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy. Sexual function and bother scores were highest after brachytherapy, with a 5-fold higher rate of return to baseline function compared to cryotherapy, open radical prostatectomy and robotic assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy. All 4 treatments were associated with relatively transient and less pronounced impact on bowel function and bother. CONCLUSIONS: In a study of sequential health related quality of life assessments brachytherapy and cryotherapy were associated with higher urinary function and bother scores compared to open radical prostatectomy and da Vinci prostatectomy. Brachytherapy was associated with higher sexual function and bother scores compared to open radical prostatectomy, robotic assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy and cryotherapy.

First Report of NRG Oncology/Radiation Therapy Oncology Group 0622: A Phase 2 Trial of Samarium-153 Followed by Salvage Prostatic Fossa Irradiation in High-Risk Clinically Nonmetastatic Prostate Cancer After Radical Prostatectomy.

PURPOSE: To investigate the utility of 153Sm lexidronam (Quadramet) in the setting of men with prostate cancer status post radical prostatectomy who develop biochemical failure with no clinical evidence of osseous metastases. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Trial NRG Oncology RTOG 0622 is a single-arm phase 2 trial that enrolled men with pT2-T4, N0-1, M0 prostate cancer status post radical prostatectomy, who meet at least 1 of these biochemical failure criteria: (1) prostate-specific antigen (PSA) > 1.0 ng/mL; (2) PSA > 0.2 ng/mL if Gleason score 9 to 10; or (3) PSA > 0.2 ng/mL if N1. Patients received 153Sm (2.0 mCi/kg intravenously × 1) followed by salvage external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) to the prostatic fossa (64.8-70.2 Gy in 1.8-Gy daily fractions). No androgen deprivation therapy was allowed. The primary objective was PSA response within 12 weeks of receiving 153Sm. The secondary objectives were to: (1) assess the completion rate for the regimen of 153Sm and EBRT; (2) evaluate the hematologic toxicity and other adverse events (AEs) at 12 and 24 weeks; and (3) determine the freedom from progression rate at 2 years. RESULTS: A total of 60 enrolled eligible patients were included in this analysis. Median follow-up was 3.97 years. A PSA response was achieved in 7 of 52 evaluable patients (13.5%), compared with the 25% hypothesized. The 2-year freedom from progression rate was 25.5% (95% confidence interval 14.4%-36.7%), and the biochemical failure rate was 64.4% (95% CI 50.5%-75.2%). Samarium-153 was well tolerated, with 16 (of 60) grade 3 to 4 hematologic AEs and no grade 5 hematologic AEs. Radiation therapy was also well tolerated, with no grade 3 to 5 acute radiation therapy-related AEs and 1 grade 3 to 4 and no grade 5 late radiation therapy-related AEs. CONCLUSIONS: Trial NRG Oncology RTOG 0622 did not meet its primary endpoint of PSA response, although the regimen of 153Sm and salvage EBRT was well tolerated. Although the toxicity profile supports study of 153Sm in high-risk disease, it may not be beneficial in men receiving EBRT.

Contemporary management of prostate cancer with lethal potential.

Screening for prostate cancer by determining serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels has resulted in a stage migration such that patients with high-risk disease are more likely to be candidates for curative local therapy. By combining serum PSA, clinical stage, and biopsy information--both Gleason score and volume of tumor in the biopsy cores--specimen pathologic stage and patient biochemical disease-free survival can be estimated. This information can help patients and clinicians understand the severity of disease and the need for multimodal therapy, often in the context of a clinical trial. While the mainstays of treatment for local disease control are radical prostatectomy and radiation therapy, systemic therapy must be considered as well. A randomized trial has shown a survival benefit for radical prostatectomy in patients with positive lymph nodes who undergo immediate adjuvant androgen deprivation. Clinical trials are needed to clarify whether adjuvant radiation therapy after surgery confers a survival benefit. PSA is a sensitive marker for follow-up after local treatment and has proven that conventional external-beam irradiation alone is inadequate treatment for high-risk disease. Fortunately, the technology of radiation delivery has been dramatically improved with tools such as three-dimensional conformal radiation, intensity-modulated radiation therapy, and high-dose-rate brachytherapy. The further contributions of pelvic irradiation and neoadjuvant, concurrent, and adjuvant androgen deprivation therapy have been defined in clinical trials. Future management of high-risk prostate cancer may be expanded by clinical trials evaluating neoadjuvant and/or adjuvant chemotherapy in combination with androgen deprivation.

High-dose-rate brachytherapy of recurrent rectal adenocarcinoma presenting as a solitary intravascular metastasis of the iliac vein: a case report.

PURPOSE: To describe a novel use of high-dose-rate intravascular brachytherapy in the first reported case of macroscopic metastatic rectal adenocarcinoma within a peripheral vein. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Following thrombolytic therapy to ablate an overlying venous thrombosis, a vascular stent was deployed across the entire length of the tumor. Using the stent as a target, 4300 cGy was delivered to the tumor via megavoltage external beam radiation. This was followed by two weekly intravascular high-dose-rate 192Ir brachytherapy applications of 400 cGy each. RESULTS: There is no evidence of recurrence in the treated vein at 43 months of follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: In this unique case, a combination of external beam radiation therapy and intravascular brachytherapy provided effective control of a solitary intravascular metastasis from rectal carcinoma.