Reply to Wei Liu, Katherine Zukotynski, and Glenn Bauman's Letter to the Editor re: Rachel M. Glicksman, Ur Metser, Douglass Vines, et al. Curative-intent Metastasis-directed Therapies for Molecularly-defined Oligorecurrent Prostate Cancer: A Prospective Phase II Trial Testing the Oligometastasis Hypothesis. Eur Urol 2021;80:374-82

Extended Results and Independent Validation of a Phase 2 Trial of Metastasis Directed Therapy for Molecularly Defined Oligometastatic Prostate Cancer

PURPOSE

The role of metastasis-directed therapy (MDT) in molecularly defined oligorecurrent prostate cancer (PCa) remains irresolute. We present extended follow-up and an independent validation cohort of a prospective trial.

METHODS AND MATERIALS

This study consists of 2 sequential single-arm phase-2 trials of patients with biochemical recurrence (prostate specific antigen [PSA] 0.4-3.0 ng/mL) and negative conventional imaging after radical prostatectomy and postoperative radiation therapy. All patients underwent [¹⁸F]DCFPyL positron emission tomography/computed tomography. Patients with molecularly defined oligorecurrent prostate cancer underwent MDT with stereotactic body radiation therapy or surgery, without androgen deprivation therapy (ADT). The primary end point was biochemical response (≥50% PSA decline from baseline). Secondary end points included PSA progression-free survival and ADT-free survival. The sample size of 37 MDT patients was determined based on a Simon's 2-stage design with biochemical response rate >20%, and this design was also applied for the subsequent independent validation cohort.

RESULTS

Seventy-four patients underwent MDT: 37 each in the initial and validation cohorts. Both cohorts met the prespecified biochemical response rate and completed the planned 2-stages of accrual. For the pooled cohort, the median number of prostate specific membrane antigen positron emission tomography avid lesions was 2 and most (87%) recurrences were nodal. Sixty-four (87%) had stereotactic body radiation therapy and 10 (13%) had surgery. Median follow-up (interquartile range [IQR]) for the initial, validation and combined cohorts were 41 (35-46) months, 14 months (7-21), and 24 months (14-41), respectively. The biochemical response rates for the initial, validation and combined cohorts were 59%, 43%, and 51%, respectively. For the combined cohort, median biochemical progression-free survival was 21 months (95% confidence interval, 13-not reached), and median ADT-free survival was 45 months (95% confidence interval, 31-not reached).

CONCLUSIONS

Half of patients treated with MDT for molecularly defined-only oligorecurrent prostate cancer exhibited a biochemical response. This study provides necessary and validated evidence to support randomized trials aiming to determine whether MDT (alone or with systemic therapy) can affect clinically meaningful end points.