title: Salvage radiotherapy for biochemical relapse after complete PSA response following radical prostatectomy: outcome and prognostic factors for patients who have never received hormonal therapy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the results of salvage conformal radiation therapy (3DC-EBRT) for patients submitted to radical prostatectomy (RP) who have achieved complete PSA response and who have never been treated with hormonal therapy (HT).To present the results of biochemical control, a period free from hormonal therapy and factors related to its prognosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  from August 2002 to December 2004, 43 prostate cancer patients submitted to RP presented biochemical failure after achieving a PSA < 0.2 ng/ml. They have never received HT and were submitted to salvage 3DC-EBRT. Median age was 62 years, median preoperative PSA was 8.8 ng/ml, median Gleason Score was 7. Any PSA rise above 0.2 was defined as biochemical failure after surgery. Median 3DC-EBRT dose was 70 Gy, biochemical failure after EBRT was defined as 3 consecutive rises in PSA or a single rise enough to trigger HT.
  
  
  RESULTS
  3-year biochemical non-evidence of disease (BNED) was 71%. PSA doubling time lower than 4 months (p = 0.01) and time from recurrence to salvage EBRT (p = 0.04) were associated with worse chance of biochemical control. Biochemical control of 76% was achieved when RT had been introduced with a PSA lower than 1 ng/ml vs. 48% with a PSA higher than 1 (p = 0.19). Late toxicity was acceptable.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  70% of biochemical control in 3 years can be achieved with salvage radiotherapy in selected patients. The importance of PSADT was confirmed in this study and radiotherapy should be started as early as possible. Longer follow up is necessary, but it is possible to conclude that a long interval free from hormonal therapy was achieved with low rate of toxicity avoiding or at least delaying several important adverse effects related to hormonal treatment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology, Hospital do Cancer A C Camargo, São Paulo, Brazil. aajacinto@yahoo.com.br
authors.forename: Alexandre A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Jacinto
authors.forename: Angelo B S
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Fede
authors.forename: Lívia A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Fagundes
authors.forename: João V
authors.initials: JV
authors.lastname: Salvajoli
authors.forename: Marcus S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Castilho
authors.forename: Gustavo A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Viani
authors.forename: Ricardo C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Fogaroli
authors.forename: Paulo E R S
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Novaes
authors.forename: Antonio Cássio A
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Pellizzon
authors.forename: Maria A C
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Maia
authors.forename: Robson
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ferrigno
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010315:Particle Accelerators; D011379:Prognosis; D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen / Q000097:blood*; D011468:Prostatectomy; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000532:radiotherapy* / Q000601:surgery*; D016879:Salvage Therapy; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen