Radiotherapy Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Radiotherapy, including details on cancer treatment, side effects.

Androgen-deprivation therapy does not impact cause-specific or overall survival after permanent prostate brachytherapy.

Merrick GS, Butler WM, Wallner KE, Galbreath RW, Allen ZA, Adamovich E

Schiffler Cancer Center, Wheeling Jesuit University, Wheeling, WV, USA. gmerrick@wheelinghospital.com

PURPOSE: To determine if androgen-deprivation therapy (ADT) has an impact on cause-specific, biochemical progression-free, or overall survival after prostate brachytherapy. METHODS AND MATERIALS: From April 1995 through June 2002, 938 consecutive patients underwent brachytherapy for clinical Stage T1b to T3a (2002 AJCC) prostate cancer. All patients underwent brachytherapy more than 3 years before analysis. A total of 382 patients (40.7%) received ADT with a duration of 6 months or less in 277 and more than 6 months in 105. The median follow-up was 5.4 years. Multiple clinical, treatment, and dosimetric parameters were evaluated as predictors of cause-specific, biochemical progression-free, and overall survival. RESULTS: The 10-year cause-specific, biochemical progression-free, and overall survival rates for the entire cohort were 96.4%, 95.9%, and 78.1%, respectively. Except for biochemical progression-free survival in high-risk patients, ADT did not statistically impact any of the three survival categories. A Cox linear-regression analysis demonstrated that Gleason score was the best predictor of cause-specific survival, whereas percent-positive biopsies, prostate volume, and risk group predicted for biochemical progression-free survival. Patient age and tobacco use were the strongest predictors of overall survival. One hundred two patients have died, with 80 of the deaths a result of cardiovascular disease (54) and second malignancies (26). To date, only 12 patients have died of metastatic prostate cancer. CONCLUSIONS: After brachytherapy, androgen-deprivation therapy did not have an impact on cause-specific or overall survival for any risk group; however, ADT had a beneficial effect on biochemical progression-free survival in high-risk patients. Cardiovascular disease and second malignancies far outweighed prostate cancer as competing causes of death.

Published 5 June 2006 in Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys, 65(3): 669-77.
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