Ultrasonic volume monitoring in patient with prostate cancer treated by external beam radiation therapy.
OBJECTIVE
To determine whether or not tumor volume estimates are useful in predicting and detecting disease progression following radiation therapy in patients being treated for adenocarcinoma of the prostate.


METHODS
Compare preradiation therapy ultrasound determined volumetric analysis of the prostate gland, the hypoechoic tumor lesion, and prostate-specific antigen (PSA) values to sequential post-therapy determinations.


RESULTS
The average percent volume reduction rates at three months postradiation therapy of the entire prostate gland and the hypoechoic tumor lesion were 18.1 and 60 percent, respectively. The serum PSA value at three months decreased by 69.3 percent. After the first three months, further reductions in all three parameters were minimal. The volume of the histologically confirmed cancer lesions in progressing patients decreased at a slower rate than that of nonprogressing patients during the initial six months of follow-up (p = 0.03). Among the 14 progressing patients, a new hypoechoic lesion (5 of which were biopsy-positive) developed in 7, and 7 had persistent lesions. An elevated PSA was observed in 10 of the progressors.


CONCLUSIONS
The volume change of the hypoechoic lesion was sensitive in detecting disease progression and mirrored the change in PSA levels. The monitoring of hypoechoic lesion volume is useful both to predict and to detect disease progression following radiation therapy while volume change of the prostate gland was not sensitive for these purposes.
Saitoh
M
M
Department of Urology, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston.
Ramirez
E
E
Babaian
R J
RJ
D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000097:blood / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D000368:Aged; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008991:Monitoring, Physiologic; D011467:Prostate / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen / Q000097:blood; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D014463:Ultrasonography
D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen