Evaluation of Treatment Outcomes of Prostate Cancer Patients With Lymph Node Metastasis Treated With Definitive Radiotherapy


Onal C., Guler O. C., ERPOLAT Ö. P., HÜRMÜZ P., Sutera P., Deek M. P., ...More

CLINICAL NUCLEAR MEDICINE, vol.49, no.8, 2024 (SCI-Expanded) identifier identifier identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 49 Issue: 8
  • Publication Date: 2024
  • Doi Number: 10.1097/rlu.0000000000005284
  • Journal Name: CLINICAL NUCLEAR MEDICINE
  • Journal Indexes: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, EMBASE
  • Gazi University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

PurposeWe investigated the impact of prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) PET/CT compared with conventional imaging on treatment outcomes for node-positive prostate cancer (PCa) patients who underwent androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) and external radiotherapy (RT).Patients and MethodsA multicentric, retrospective study recruited patients with node-positive PCa patients who underwent conventional radiological evaluation or PSMA PET/CT and received ADT and RT at 3 hospitals from 2009 to 2021 were enrolled. Patients underwent prostate and pelvis RT, accompanied by a minimum of 6 months of ADT. The primary endpoints were progression-free survival (PFS) and PCa-specific survival (PCSS). Cox regression analyzed the association of survival with potential prognostic factors, whereas logistic regression identified the predictors of bone and lymph node metastasis.ResultsThe median follow-up time was 64.0 months. The majority of patients (64.1%) underwent PSMA PET/CT for staging. The 5-year rates of PFS and PCSS were 63.7% and 83.7%, respectively. Disease progression was observed in 90 patients (36.3%). In multivariable analysis, ADT duration of less than 24 months and post-RT prostate-specific antigen (PSA) nadir were prognostic for PFS. Early clinical T stage and PSMA PET/CT predicted better PCSS. Patients staged with PSMA PET/CT had exhibited significantly higher 5-year PCSS rates than compared with those staged with conventional imaging (95.1% vs 76.9%; P = 0.01). Shorter ADT duration and higher PSA levels after RT independently predicted bone metastasis in multivariable logistic regression. Advanced T stage, shorter ADT duration, and higher PSA levels after neoadjuvant ADT predicted nonregional lymph node recurrence.ConclusionsADT with pelvis RT is an effective treatment option for node-positive PCa patients. The PSMA PET/CT outperformed conventional imaging in PCSS, emphasizing the importance of precise clinical staging for patients undergoing definitive RT.