Impact of Androgen Deprivation Therapy Associated to Conformal Radiotherapy in the Treatment of D'Amico Intermediate-/High-Risk Prostate Cancer in Older Patients

Outcomes in studies regarding older patients with prostate cancer: A systematic review

INTRODUCTION

Older patients are often deemed ineligible for clinical research, and many frequently-used endpoints and outcome measures are not as relevant for older patients for younger ones. This systematic review aimed to present an overview of outcomes used in clinical research regarding patients over the age of 65 years with prostate cancer.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

PubMed and Embase were systematically searched to identify studies on prostate cancer (treatment) in patients aged ≥65 between 2016 and 2023. Data on title, study design, number of participants and age, stage of disease, treatment, and investigated outcomes were synthesized and descriptively analyzed.

RESULTS

Sixty-eight studies were included. Of these most included patients over 65 years, while others used a higher age. Overall, 39 articles (57.3%) reported on survival-related outcomes, 22 (32.4%) reported on progression of disease and 38 (55.9%) used toxicity or adverse events as an outcome measure. Health-related quality of life and functional outcomes were investigated in 29.4%, and cognition in two studies. The most frequently investigated survival-related outcomes were overall and cancer-specific survival (51.3%); however, 38.5% only studied overall survival.

DISCUSSION

The main focus of studies included in this review remains survival and disease progression. There is limited attention for health-related quality of life and functional status, although older patients often prioritize the latter. Future research should incorporate outcome measures tailored to the aged population to improve care for older patients with prostate cancer.

lncRNA RP11-10A14.5: a potential prognosis biomarker for LUAD through regulation on proliferation and metastasis

Lung cancer is the malignancy most commonly seen worldwide. Emerging evidences indicated that lncRNAs may serve as a prognosis marker and play important role in NSCLC tumor biology. In this work, we analyzed the prognosis value of RP11-10A14.5 using TCGA and GEPIA database and expression profiles using PCR and FISH assay. The biological roles of RP11-10A14.5 in cell growth and invasion were determined by in vitro and in vivo experiments. Expression of RP11-10A14.5 is correlated with increased clinical stage and poor survival prognosis. In vitro experiments revealed that RP11-10A14.5 was widely expressed in lung cancer cell lines and mainly distributed in the cytoplasm and enhanced the growth, invasion and migration ability of NSCLC cell lines. Immunofluorescence assay suggested that RP11-10A14.5 may promote EMT by downregulating E-cadherin and upregulating N-cadherin and Vimentin. Flow cytometry results suggested that RP11-10A14.5 did not significantly affect cell cycle function, but could significantly inhibit apoptosis which may further enhance metastasis cell survival. In conclusion, RP11-10A14.5 is associated with clinical stage and poor survival outcome, may serve as a diagnosis and prognosis predictor for LUAD. Further, RP11-10A14.5 could promote LUAD cell growth and metastasis.

Geriatric Oncology: From Research to Clinical Practice

The incidence of cancer in older adults is strongly increasing due to the ageing of the population [...].

Metastasis Prevention: Focus on Metastatic Circulating Tumor Cells

Metastasis is the main cause of cancer death. Metastatic foci are derived from tumor cells that detach from the primary tumor and then enter the circulation. Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are generally associated with a high probability of distant metastasis and a negative prognosis. Most CTCs die in the bloodstream, and only a few cells form metastases. Such metastatic CTCs have a stem-like and hybrid epithelial-mesenchymal phenotype, can avoid immune surveillance, and show increased therapy resistance. Targeting metastatic CTCs and their progenitors in primary tumors and their descendants, particularly disseminated tumor cells, represents an attractive strategy for metastasis prevention. However, current therapeutic strategies mainly target the primary tumor and only indirectly affect metastasis-initiating cells. Here, we consider potential methods for preventing metastasis based on targeting molecular and cellular features of metastatic CTCs, including CTC clusters. Also, we emphasize current knowledge gaps in CTC biology that should be addressed to develop highly effective therapeutics and strategies for metastasis suppression.

Pattern of Biopsy Gleason Grade Group 5 (4 + 5 vs 5 + 4 vs 5 + 5) Predicts Survival After Radical Prostatectomy or External Beam Radiation Therapy

BACKGROUND

Previous cancer-specific mortality (CSM) analyses for different Gleason patterns in Gleason grade group (GGG) 5 cancer were limited by sample size.

OBJECTIVE

To test for differences in CSM according to biopsy GG 5 patterns (4 + 5 vs 5 + 4 vs 5 + 5) among patients undergoing radical prostatectomy (RP) or external beam radiation therapy (EBRT).

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS

Patients in the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results database treated with RP and EBRT (2004-2016) were identified and stratified according to Gleason 4 + 5 versus 5 + 4 versus 5 + 5.

INTERVENTION

RP or EBRT.

OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS AND STATISTICAL ANALYSES

Kaplan-Meier and multivariable Cox regression models predicting CSM were constructed.

RESULTS AND LIMITATIONS

Of 17 263 eligible patients with GG 5 cancer at biopsy (RP: n = 7208; EBRT: n = 10 055), 12 705 had Gleason 4 + 5, 3302 had Gleason 5 + 4, and 1256 had Gleason 5 + 5 disease. Median age, prostate-specific antigen (PSA) at diagnosis, and advanced cT and cN stages significantly differed by Gleason pattern (Gleason 4 + 5 vs 5 + 4 vs 5 + 5; all p < 0.001). The 10-yr CSM rate was 18.2% for Gleason 4 + 5, 28.0% for Gleason 5 + 4, and 39.1% for Gleason 5 + 5 (p < 0.001). In multivariable analyses for the entire cohort adjusted for PSA, age at diagnosis, and cT and cN stage, Gleason 5 + 4 and Gleason 5 + 5 were associated with 1.6- and 2.2-fold higher CSM, respectively, relative to Gleason 4 + 5. In addition, Gleason 5 + 4 and Gleason 5 + 5 were associated with 1.6- and 2.5-fold, and 1.5- and 2.1-fold higher CSM rates in the RP and EBRT subgroups, respectively, relative to Gleason 4 + 5 (all p < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

For patients with biopsy GG 5 prostate cancer treated with RP or EBRT, there are important CSM differences by Gleason pattern (4 + 5 vs 5 + 4 vs 5 + 5). Ideally, the individual Gleason pattern should be considered in pretreatment risk stratification.

PATIENT SUMMARY

For patients with grade 5 prostate cancer, we found differences in cancer-specific death rates according to the pattern of abnormal cells in the prostate, called the Gleason score. The highest death rate was found for a Gleason pattern score of 5 + 5, followed by Gleason 5 + 4 and then Gleason 4 + 5. These differences were observed for both patients who were treated with prostate removal and patients who underwent radiotherapy.