title: External beam radiation salvage for residual or recurrent local tumor following radical prostatectomy.
abstract: External beam radiation therapy was used as a means of salvage in 32 patients with either incomplete excision or palpable local recurrence following radical prostatectomy. Patients were divided into 2 groups consisting of 13 patients who were referred within 4 months of incomplete excision (group 1) and 19 who were referred only after palpable local recurrence had developed (group 2). The 5 and 10-year actuarial survival free of disease in group 1 was 57 per cent, compared to 40 and 20 per cent for group 2 (p equals 0.05). Fourteen patients with an elevated pre-radiation therapy serum acid phosphatase level and/or bladder invasion had an especially poor prognosis, with a median survival free of disease of only 2.4 years. Ten complications were recorded in 5 patients (16 per cent), which were slightly higher than experienced in irradiated patients without a previous radical operation. The data support the contention that external beam radiation therapy may offer a means of post-radical prostatectomy salvage for selected patients with incomplete excision or palpable local recurrence. The best results were obtained in patients who were referred within 4 months of prostatectomy because of incomplete excision rather than waiting for palpable local recurrence to develop.
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000401:mortality / Q000532:radiotherapy* / Q000601:surgery; D000368:Aged; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D011182:Postoperative Care; D011468:Prostatectomy; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000532:radiotherapy* / Q000601:surgery; D011882:Radiotherapy, High-Energy; D013997:Time Factors