Is robotic arm stereotactic body radiation therapy “virtual high dose ratebrachytherapy” for prostate cancer? An analysis of comparative effectiveness using published data [corrected]

High-dose rate brachytherapy (HDR-BT) monotherapy and robotic arm (i.e., CyberKnife) stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) are emerging technologies that have become popular treatment options for prostate cancer. Proponents of both HDR-BT monotherapy and robotic arm SBRT claim that these modalities are as efficacious as intensity-modulated radiation therapy in treating prostate cancer. Moreover, proponents of robotic arm SBRT believe it is more effective than HDR-BT monotherapy because SBRT is non-invasive, touting it as 'virtual HDR-BT.' We perform a comparative effective analysis of the two technologies. The tumor control rates and toxicities of HDR-BT monotherapy and robotic arm SBRT are promising. However, at present, it would be inappropriate to state that HDR-BT monotherapy and robotic arm SBRT are as efficacious or effective as other treatment modalities for prostate cancer, which have stronger foundations of evidence. Studies reporting on these technologies have relatively short follow-up time, few patients and are largely retrospective.

Do theoretical potential and advanced technology justify the use of high-dose rate brachytherapy as monotherapy for prostate cancer?

Low-dose rate brachytherapy (LDR-BT), involving implantation of radioactive seeds into the prostate, is an established monotherapy for most low-risk and select intermediate- and high-risk prostate cancer patients. High-dose rate brachytherapy (HDR-BT) is an advanced technology theorized to be more advantageous than LDR-BT from a radiobiological and radiophysics perspective, to the patient himself, and in terms of resource allocation. Studies of HDR-BT monotherapy have encouraging results in terms of biochemical control, patient survival, treatment toxicity and erectile preservation. However, there are still certain limitations that preclude recommending HDR-BT monotherapy for prostate cancer outside the setting of a clinical trial. HDR-BT monotherapy should be considered experimental at present.

Combining theoretical potential and advanced technology in high-dose rate brachytherapy boost therapy for prostate cancer

External beam radiation therapy (EBRT) combined with brachytherapy (BT) is an attractive treatment option for select patients with clinically localized prostate cancer. Either low- or high-dose rate BT may be combined with EBRT ('LDR-BT boost,' 'HDR-BT boost,' respectively). HDR-BT boost has potential theoretical benefits over LDR-BT boost or external beam radiation therapy monotherapy in terms of radiobiology, radiophysics and patient convenience. Based on prospective studies in this review, freedom from biochemical failure (FFBF) rates at 5 years for low-, intermediate- and high-risk patients have generally been 85-100%, 68-97%, 63-85%, respectively; late Radiotherapy and Oncology Group Grades 3 and 4 genitourinary and gastrointestinal toxicities are seen in <8% of patients. HDR-BT boost is now a relatively well-established treatment modality for certain intermediate-risk and high-risk prostate cancer patients, though limitations exist in drawing conclusions from the currently published studies.

Large prostate gland size is not a contraindication to low-dose-rate brachytherapy for prostate adenocarcinoma

PURPOSE

Prostate volume greater than 50cc is traditionally a relative contraindication to prostate seed implantation (PSI), but there is little consensus regarding prostate size and clinical outcomes. We report biochemical control and toxicity after low-dose-rate PSI and compare outcomes according to the prostate size.

METHODS AND MATERIALS

A total of 429 men who underwent low-dose-rate PSI between 1998 and 2009 were evaluated. Median followup was 38.7 months. Patients were classified by prostate volume into small, medium, and large subgroups. Differences were analyzed using the Mann-Whitney and Pearson's χ(2) tests for continuous and categorical variables, respectively. Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to evaluate effect of prostate size on outcomes.

RESULTS

Patient pretreatment factors were balanced between groups except for age (p=0.001). The 10-year actuarial freedom from biochemical failure for all patients treated with PSI was 96.3% with no statistically significant difference between large vs. small/medium prostate size (90% vs. 96.6%, p=0.47). In a multivariate analysis, plan type (hazard ratio [HR]=0.25, p=0.03), dose to 90% of the gland (D90: HR=0.98, p=0.02), volume receiving 200Gy (V200: HR=0.98, p=0.026), and biologic effective dose (HR=0.99, p=0.045), but not prostate size (HR=2.27, p=0.17) were significantly associated with freedom from biochemical failure. Prostate size was not significantly associated with time to maximum American Urologic Association score.

CONCLUSION

In men with large prostates, the PSI provides biochemical control and temporal changes in genitourinary toxicity that are comparable with men having smaller glands. Accurate dose optimization and delivery of PSI provides the best clinical outcomes regardless of gland size.

Magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound for patients with painful bone metastases: phase III trial results

Background

Pain due to bone metastases is a common cause of cancer-related morbidity, with few options available for patients refractory to medical therapies and who do not respond to radiation therapy. This study assessed the safety and efficacy of magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound surgery (MRgFUS), a noninvasive method of thermal tissue ablation for palliation of pain due to bone metastases.

Methods

Patients with painful bone metastases were randomly assigned 3:1 to receive MRgFUS sonication or placebo. The primary endpoint was improvement in self-reported pain score without increase of pain medication 3 months after treatment and was analyzed by Fisher’s exact test. Components of the response composite, Numerical Rating Scale for pain (NRS) and morphine equivalent daily dose intake, were analyzed by t test and Wilcoxon rank-sum test, respectively. Brief Pain Inventory (BPI-QoL), a measure of functional interference of pain on quality of life, was compared between MRgFUS and placebo by t test. Statistical tests were two-sided.

Results

One hundred forty-seven subjects were enrolled, with 112 and 35 randomly assigned to MRgFUS and placebo treatments, respectively. Response rate for the primary endpoint was 64.3% in the MRgFUS arm and 20.0% in the placebo arm (P < .001). MRgFUS was also superior to placebo at 3 months on the secondary endpoints assessing worst score NRS (P < .001) and the BPI-QoL (P < .001). The most common treatment-related adverse event (AE) was sonication pain, which occurred in 32.1% of MRgFUS patients. Two patients had pathological fractures, one patient had third-degree skin burn, and one patient suffered from neuropathy. Overall 60.3% of all AEs resolved on the treatment day.

Conclusions

This multicenter phase III trial demonstrated that MRgFUS is a safe and effective, noninvasive treatment for alleviating pain resulting from bone metastases in patients that have failed standard treatments.

The quality frontier

ABSTRACT: 

Quality is gaining increased attention in medicine including oncology. This heightened focus on quality is long overdue, as noted by the Institute of Medicine over a decade ago. Unfortunately, medical practice including the numerous disciplines of oncology continues to fall short of its ‘quality frontier’, an analogous concept to the productivity frontier in business. Diverse but inter-related forces including culture, transparency, personalized medicine, economics and informatics are together driving the practice of oncology closer to its quality frontier. Examples of initial progress in relation to each of these forces are reviewed and their implications for future impact on quality discussed.

A paradigm shift from anatomic to functional and molecular imaging in the detection of recurrent prostate cancer

Approximately a third of men with localized prostate cancer who are treated with external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) or radical prostatectomy (RP) develop biochemical failure (BF). Presumably, BF will progress to distant metastasis and prostate cancer-specific mortality in some patients over subsequent years. Accurate detection of recurrent disease is important because it allows for appropriate treatment selection (e.g., local vs systemic therapy) and early delivery of therapy (e.g., salvage EBRT), which affect patient outcome. In this article, we discuss the paradigm shift in imaging technology in the detection of recurrent prostate cancer. First, we discuss the commonly used morphological and anatomical imaging modalities and their role in the post-RP and post-EBRT settings of BF. Second, we discuss the accuracy of functional and molecular imaging techniques, many of which are under investigation. Further studies are needed to establish the role of imaging techniques for detection of cancer recurrence and clinical decision-making.

Updated results of magnetic resonance imaging guided partial prostate brachytherapy for favorable risk prostate cancer: implications for focal therapy

PURPOSE

We report updated results of magnetic resonance imaging guided partial prostate brachytherapy and propose a definition of biochemical failure following focal therapy.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

From 1997 to 2007, 318 men with cT1c, prostate specific antigen less than 15 ng/ml, Gleason 3 + 4 or less prostate cancer received magnetic resonance imaging guided brachytherapy in which only the peripheral zone was targeted. To exclude benign prostate specific antigen increases due to prostatic hyperplasia, we investigated the usefulness of defining prostate specific antigen failure as nadir +2 with prostate specific antigen velocity greater than 0.75 ng/ml per year. Cox regression was used to determine the factors associated with prostate specific antigen failure.

RESULTS

Median followup was 5.1 years (maximum 12.1). While 36 patients met the nadir +2 criteria, 16 of 17 biopsy proven local recurrences were among the 26 men who also had a prostate specific antigen velocity greater than 0.75 ng/ml per year (16 of 26 vs 1 of 10, p = 0.008). Using the nadir +2 definition, prostate specific antigen failure-free survival for low risk cases at 5 and 8 years was 95.1% (91.0-97.3) and 80.4% (70.7-87.1), respectively. This rate improved to 95.6% (91.6-97.7) and 90.0% (82.6-94.3) using nadir +2 with prostate specific antigen velocity greater than 0.75 ng/ml per year. For intermediate risk cases survival was 73.0% (55.0-84.8) at 5 years and 66.4% (44.8-81.1) at 8 years (the same values as using nadir +2 with prostate specific antigen velocity greater than 0.75 ng/ml per year).

CONCLUSIONS

Requiring a prostate specific antigen velocity greater than 0.75 ng/ml per year in addition to nadir +2 appears to better predict clinical failure after therapies that target less than the whole gland. Further followup will determine whether magnetic resonance imaging guided brachytherapy targeting the peripheral zone produces comparable cancer control to whole gland treatment in men with low risk disease. However, at this time it does not appear adequate for men with even favorable intermediate risk disease.

Long-term results of MRI-guided partial prostate brachytherapy for favorable-risk prostate cancer: Implications for focal therapy

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Background: To report long-term results of MRI-guided partial prostate brachytherapy and propose a definition of biochemical failure following focal therapy

Methods: From 1997-2007, 318 men with cT1c, PSA < 15, Gleason ≤ 3 + 4 prostate cancer received MRI-guided brachtherapy in which only the peripheral zone was targeted. To exclude benign PSA increases due to prostatic hyperplasia, PSA failure was defined as nadir + 2 with PSA velocity >0.75 ng/mL/year. Cox multivariable analysis was used to determine factors associated with PSA failure.

Results: After a median follow-up of 5.1 years (interquartile range: 2.8 to 7.3, maximum 12.1), 26 men failed. While 36 patients met nadir+2 criteria, all eight biopsy-proven local recurrences were among the 26 men who also had a PSA velocity >0.75 ng/mL/year. On multivariable analysis, having intermediate vs. low-risk disease (adjusted HR: 4.4 [95%CI: 1.3-5.5], p<0.001) was the only factor significantly associated with an increased risk of PSA failure. PSA failure-free survival at 5 and 8 years was 95.6% and 90.0% for low risk, and was 73.0% and 66.4% for intermediate risk, respectively.

Conclusions: MRI-guided brachytherapy targeting the peripheral zone produced comparable cancer control rates to whole-gland treatment in men with PSA-detected low-risk disease, but may not be adequate for men with “favorable” intermediate-risk disease. Requiring a PSA velocity>0.75 in addition to nadir+2 may be a more appropriate way to define biochemical failure after therapies that target less than the whole gland.

Impact of race on prostate cancer selection and cause-specific mortality: A SEER database analysis

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Background: The objective of this study was to assess relationships between race, treatment, and cause-specific mortality for prostate cancer.

Methods: The Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) database yielded 328,151 prostate cancer patients diagnosed between 1990–2007 including 5,129 Japanese-American, 50,717 Black-American, and 282,305 White-American men. Japanese-American men were selected as they have the lowest incidence of prostate cancer and best treatment outcomes. Cox proportional-hazards regression analysis was used to assess association of race with prostate-cancer specific mortality before and after adjusting for age, health, and treatment. To assess impact of race on treatment selection, we compared mean incidence of treatment type [external beam radiation therapy (EBRT), brachytherapy, and surgery] by race using one-way ANOVA and post-testing with Bonferroni correction.

Results: Race significantly impacted survival after prostate cancer treatment. Blacks had the highest (HR= 1.198; 95% CI: 1.159 to 1.239, p< .001) and Japanese the lowest (HR= .618; 95% CI: .560 to .682, p< .001) mortality hazard compared to Whites. Tumor grade was the strongest predictor of survival (p< .001). Treatment was also significant: Brachytherapy had the lowest mortality hazard for radiation treatments and surgery was associated with lower mortality hazard compared to no surgery. 37.8%, 44.1%, and 29.1% of Blacks, Whites, and Japanese-Americans underwent surgery (p< .05), 27.3%, 23.8%, and 38.2% of Blacks, Whites, and Japanese-Americans underwent EBRT, (p< .05), and 4.9%, 6.7%, and 4.7% of Blacks, Whites, and Japanese-Americans underwent brachytherapy, with Whites significantly different from the other groups( p<.05).

Conclusions: SEER database analysis revealed race impacts prostate cancer survival. Treatment selection for prostate cancer differs among racial groups and race is associated with differential treatment outcomes. Comparisons between treatments must be viewed with caution as confounding variables likely exist not accounted for in the SEER database. Future research on race, treatment, and socioeconomic impact on cancer-specific mortality is warranted.

Combination external beam radiation and brachytherapy boost with androgen deprivation for treatment of intermediate-risk prostate cancer: long-term results of CALGB 99809

BACKGROUND

Combined transperineal prostate brachytherapy and external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) is widely used for treatment of prostate cancer. Long-term efficacy and toxicity results of a multicenter phase 2 trial assessing combination of EBRT and transperineal prostate brachytherapy boost with androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) for intermediate-risk prostate cancer are presented.

METHODS

Intermediate-risk patients per Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center/National Comprehensive Cancer Network criteria received 6 months of ADT, and 45 grays (Gy) EBRT to the prostate and seminal vesicles, followed by transperineal prostate brachytherapy with I125 (100 Gy) or Pd103 (90 Gy). Toxicity was graded using the National Cancer Institute Common Toxicity Criteria version 2 and Radiation Therapy Oncology Group late radiation morbidity scoring systems. Disease-free survival (DFS) was defined as time from enrollment to progression (biochemical, local, distant, or prostate cancer death). In addition to the protocol definition of biochemical failure (3 consecutive prostate-specific antigen rises>1.0 ng/mL after 18 months from treatment start), the 1997 American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ASTRO) consensus and Phoenix definitions were also assessed in defining DFS. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to estimate DFS and overall survival.

RESULTS

Sixty-one of 63 enrolled patients were eligible. Median follow-up was 73 months. Late grade 2 and 3 toxicity, excluding sexual dysfunction, occurred in 20% and 3% of patients. Six-year DFS applying the protocol definition, 1997 ASTRO consensus, and Phoenix definitions was 87.1%, 75.1%, and 84.9%. Six deaths occurred; only 1 was attributed to prostate cancer. Six-year overall survival was 96.1%.

CONCLUSIONS

In a cooperative setting, combination of EBRT and transperineal prostate brachytherapy boost plus ADT resulted in excellent DFS with acceptable late toxicity for patients with intermediate-risk prostate cancer.

Combined hyperthermia and radiotherapy for the treatment of cancer

Radiotherapy is used to treat approximately 50% of all cancer patients, with varying success. Radiation therapy has become an integral part of modern treatment strategies for many types of cancer in recent decades, but is associated with a risk of long-term adverse effects. Of these side effects, cardiac complications are particularly relevant since they not only adversely affect quality of life but can also be potentially life-threatening. The dose of ionizing radiation that can be given to the tumor is determined by the sensitivity of the surrounding normal tissues. Strategies to improve radiotherapy therefore aim to increase the effect on the tumor or to decrease the effects on normal tissues, which must be achieved without sensitizing the normal tissues in the first approach and without protecting the tumor in the second approach. Hyperthermia is a potent sensitizer of cell killing by ionizing radiation (IR), which can be attributed to the fact that heat is a pleiotropic damaging agent, affecting multiple cell components to varying degrees by altering protein structures, thus influencing the DNA damage response. Hyperthermia induces heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70; HSPA1A) synthesis and enhances telomerase activity. HSPA1A expression is associated with radioresistance. Inactivation of HSPA1A and telomerase increases residual DNA DSBs post IR exposure, which correlates with increased cell killing, supporting the role of HSPA1A and telomerase in IR-induced DNA damage repair. Thus, hyperthermia influences several molecular parameters involved in sensitizing tumor cells to radiation and can enhance the potential of targeted radiotherapy. Therapy-inducible vectors are useful for conditional expression of therapeutic genes in gene therapy, which is based on the control of gene expression by conventional treatment modalities. The understanding of the molecular response of cells and tissues to ionizing radiation has lead to a new appreciation of the exploitable genetic alterations in tumors and the development of treatments combining pharmacological interventions with ionizing radiation that more specifically target either tumor or normal tissue, leading to improvements in efficacy.

Hyperthermia combined with radiation for the treatment of locally advanced prostate cancer: long-term results from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute study 94-153

BACKGROUND

The authors present long-term results from a phase 2 study that assessed the efficacy of transrectal ultrasound hyperthermia plus radiation with or without androgen suppression for the treatment of locally advanced prostate cancer.

METHODS

Patients with clinical T2b-T3bN0M0 disease (according to 1992 American Joint Committee on Cancer [AJCC] criteria) received radiation plus 2 transrectal ultrasound hyperthermia treatments. After the first 4 patients, 6 months of androgen suppression were allowed. The study was designed to assess absolute improvement in the 2-year disease-free survival rate compared with the short-term androgen suppression arm in Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) study 92-02.

RESULTS

Thirty-seven patients received a total of 72 hyperthermia treatments. The mean cumulative equivalent minutes (CEM) T₉₀ 43°C was 8.4 minutes. According to the 1992 AJCC classification, there were 19 patients with T2b tumors, 8 patients with T2c tumors, 5 patients with T3a tumors, and 5 patients with T3b tumors. The median Gleason score was 7 (range, 6-9), and the median prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level was 13.3 ng/mL (range, 2-65 ng/mL). Thirty-three patients received androgen suppression. At a median follow-up of 70 months (range, 18-110 months), the 7-year overall survival rate was 94%, and 61% of patients remained failure free (according to the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology definition for failure free survival). The absolute rate of disease-free survival at 2 years, which was the primary study endpoint, improved significantly (84%) compared with a rate of 64% for similar patients on the 4-month androgen suppression arm of RTOG 92-02. When Phoenix criteria (PSA nadir + 2 ng/mL) were used to define biochemical failure, 89% of patients were failure free at 2 years.

CONCLUSIONS

Hyperthermia combined with radiation for the treatment of locally advanced prostate cancer appeared to be promising. The current results indicated that further study of hyperthermia for the treatment of prostate cancer with optimal radiation and systemic therapy is warranted.

Technology Insight: Combined external-beam radiation therapy and brachytherapy in the management of prostate cancer

External-beam radiation therapy (EBRT) combined with brachytherapy is an attractive treatment option for selected patients with clinically localized prostate cancer. This therapeutic strategy offers dosimetric coverage if local-regional microscopic disease is present and provides a highly conformal boost of radiation to the prostate and immediate surrounding tissues. Either low-dose-rate (LDR) permanent brachytherapy or high-dose-rate (HDR) temporary brachytherapy can be combined with EBRT; such combined-modality therapy (CMT) is typically used to treat patients with intermediate-risk to high-risk, clinically localized disease. Controversy persists with regard to indications for CMT, choice of LDR or HDR boost, isotope selection for LDR, and integration of EBRT and brachytherapy. Initial findings from prospective, multicenter trials of CMT support the feasibility of this strategy. Updated results from these trials as well as those of ongoing and new phase III trials should help to define the role of CMT in the management of prostate cancer. In the meantime, long-term expectations for outcomes of CMT are based largely on the experience of single institutions, which demonstrate that CMT with EBRT and either LDR or HDR brachytherapy can provide freedom from disease recurrence with acceptable toxicity.

Radical prostatectomy for high-grade prostate cancer

OBJECTIVES

Patients with high-grade clinically localized disease often have disease beyond the prostate and, if so, are unlikely to benefit from radical prostatectomy in the long-term. The objective of this study was to assess whether use of other known prognostic factors could be helpful in defining which men with Gleason 8 to 10 prostate cancer are most likely to benefit from surgical management.

METHODS

A retrospective analysis was performed on men with biopsy Gleason 8 to 10 prostate cancer who underwent radical prostatectomy at two major university centers. No patients received hormonal therapy as part of initial treatment or adjuvant radiation therapy. Surgery was performed using a retropubic approach, and lymph node dissection was performed in all patients. Risk groups were defined based on prostate-specific antigen (PSA) value and percent positive biopsy cores (%PBC). A Cox proportional hazards analysis was performed to assess for differences in pretreatment prognostic factors. Kaplan-Meier curves were generated for each group, and then comparisons between groups were performed using log-rank analysis to assess for differences in 5-year actuarial freedom from biochemical failure.

RESULTS

Radical prostatectomy was performed on 196 patients between 1987 and 2002, of whom 168 had sufficient data for analysis. Median follow-up was 18 months (range, 1 to 130 months), with 31 patients at risk for more than 5 years. Patients with a PSA value of less than 10 ng/mL and %PBC of less than 50% had a 5-year actuarial biochemical control rate of 67% versus 23% for all other patients (P = 0.0001).

CONCLUSIONS

PSA value and %PBC are useful in selecting patients with high-grade prostate cancer most likely to benefit by radical prostatectomy.

Perineural invasion associated with increased cancer-specific mortality after external beam radiation therapy for men with low- and intermediate-risk prostate cancer

PURPOSE

To identify an association between perineural invasion (PNI) and cancer-specific survival in patients with prostate cancer after standard-dose external beam radiation therapy (RT).

METHODS AND MATERIALS

A total of 517 consecutive patients who underwent RT (median dose, 70.5 Gy) between 1989 and 2003 for low-risk or intermediate-risk prostate cancer were studied. A genitourinary pathologist (AAR) scored presence or absence of PNI on all prostate needle-biopsy specimens. A Cox regression multivariable analysis was performed to assess whether the presence of PNI was associated with risk of prostate cancer-specific mortality after RT when the recognized risk-group variables were factored into the model. Estimates of cancer-specific mortality were made using a cumulative incidence method. Comparisons of survival were made using a two-tailed log-rank test.

RESULTS

At a median follow-up of 4.5 years, 84 patients (16%) have died, 15 of 84 (18%) from prostate cancer. PNI was the only significant predictor of prostate cancer-specific mortality after RT (p=0.012). The estimated prostate cancer-specific mortality was 14% at 8 years for PNI+ patients vs. 5% for PNI- patients (p=0.0008).

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with low- or intermediate-risk prostate cancer who have PNI on prostate needle biopsy have a significantly higher rate of prostate cancer-specific mortality after standard-dose radiation therapy than patients without PNI. Although this analysis is retrospective, this association argues for consideration of the use of more aggressive therapy, such as hormonal therapy with RT or dose escalation, in these select patients.

Hyperthermia combined with radiation in treatment of locally advanced prostate cancer is associated with a favourable toxicity profile

PURPOSE

Hyperthermia is used to treat several pelvic tumours. An important step in establishing a broader role for hyperthermia in treatment of prostate cancer is verification of an acceptable toxicity profile. In this report, short- and long-term toxicity profiles of a completed phase II trial of transrectal ultrasound hyperthermia combined with radiation in treatment of locally advanced prostate cancer are presented.

METHODS AND MATERIALS

Thirty-seven patients enrolled on a phase II study of external beam radiation +/- androgen suppression with two transrectal ultrasound hyperthermia treatments were assessed for short- and long-term toxicity. Prostatic and anterior rectal wall temperatures were monitored. Rectal wall temperatures were limited to 40 degrees C (19 patients), 41 degrees C (three patients) and 42 degrees C (15 patients). Univariate logistic regression was used to estimate the log hazard of developing NCI CTC Grade 2 toxicity based on temperature parameters. Hazard ratios, 95% confidence intervals, p-values for statistical significance of each parameter and proportion of variability explained for each of the parameters were calculated.

RESULTS

Median follow-up was 42 months. Both short- and long-term GI toxicity were limited to grade 2 or less. Acute grade 2 proctitis was greater for patients with allowable rectal wall temperature of >40 degrees C. Eleven of 18 patients in this group had acute grade 2 proctitis vs three of 19 patients with rectal wall temperatures limited to 40 degrees C (p = 0.004). Long-term grade 2 GI and GU toxicity occurred in 5% and 19% of patients. No late grade 3 or greater toxicity occurred. Late GI and GU toxicity were not associated with the allowable rectal wall temperature.

CONCLUSION

Transrectal ultrasound hyperthermia combined with radiation for treatment of advanced clinically localized prostate cancer is safe and well tolerated.

Evidence-based review of three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy for localized prostate cancer: An ASTRO outcomes initiative

PURPOSE

To perform a systematic review of the evidence to determine the efficacy and effectiveness of three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3D-CRT) for localized prostate cancer; provide a clear presentation of the key clinical outcome questions related to the use of 3D-CRT in the treatment of localized prostate cancer that may be answered by a formal literature review; and provide concise information on whether 3D-CRT improves the clinical outcomes in the treatment of localized prostate cancer compared with conventional RT.

METHODS AND MATERIALS

We performed a systematic review of the literature through a structured process developed by the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology's Outcomes Committee that involved the creation of a multidisciplinary task force, development of clinical outcome questions, a formal literature review and data abstraction, data review, and outside peer review.

RESULTS

Seven key clinical questions were identified. The results and task force conclusions of the literature review for each question are reported.

CONCLUSION

The technological goals of reducing morbidity with 3D-CRT have been achieved. Randomized trials and follow-up of completed trials remain necessary to address these clinical outcomes specifically with regard to patient subsets and the use of hormonal therapy.