title: Biochemical disease-free survival following adjuvant and salvage irradiation after radical prostatectomy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To present the biochemical cure rates (biochemically no evidence of disease) after external irradiation (RT) in patients with high-risk prostate cancer after radical prostatectomy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Seventy-six patients who underwent radical prostatectomy and subsequent RT were included in this analysis. No patient received hormonal therapy. Adjuvant RT was administered in 35 patients (46%), and 41 patients (54%) underwent salvage RT. After prostatectomy, the Gleason score was <7 in 87%, and 24% had seminal vesicle invasion. The median RT dose in the adjuvant RT and salvage RT groups was 60 Gy and 65 Gy, respectively. The biochemical cure rate was defined as a serum prostate-specific antigen of < or =0.2 ng/mL.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The overall 5-year Kaplan-Meier biochemical control rate from the end of RT was 70%. The 5-year biochemical cure rate for adjuvant RT was significantly superior to that after salvage RT (86% vs. 57%). The significant predictors of biochemical failure were seminal vesicle invasion in the adjuvant RT group and the presence of Gleason grade 4 or 5 in the salvage RT group. The clinical local control rate in the prostate bed was 100%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This report demonstrates the efficacy of RT in achieving high biochemical cure rates after radical prostatectomy. Additional clinical studies are required to determine the optimal treatment of patients at high risk of biochemical failure after postprostatectomy RT.
authors.affiliation: Division of Radiation Oncology, Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center-Northwestern University, Northwestern Memorial Hospital, 251 E. Huron Street, LC-178, Chicago, IL 60611, USA. j-kalapurakal@northwestern.edu
authors.forename: John A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Kalapurakal
authors.forename: Cheng-Fang
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Manoj M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Neriamparampil
authors.forename: William J
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Small
authors.forename: Michael R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Pins
authors.forename: Bharat B
authors.initials: BB
authors.lastname: Mittal
authors.forename: Steven C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Campbell
authors.forename: John T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Grayhack
authors.forename: Ramananda M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Shetty
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D017273:Goserelin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D011468:Prostatectomy; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D018714:Radiotherapy, Adjuvant; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016879:Salvage Therapy; D012669:Seminal Vesicles / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D017273:Goserelin