Benefit on biochemical control of adjuvant radiation therapy in patients with pathologically involved seminal vesicles after radical prostatectomy.
OBJECTIVE
To determine whether there is a benefit for biochemical control with adjuvant radiation therapy to the surgical bed following radical prostatectomy in patients with seminal vesicle invasion and pathologically negative pelvic lymph nodes (pT3b-pT4 pN0).


METHODS
We retrospectively reviewed the clinical records of radical prostatectomy patients treated between 1995 and 2002. A total of 66 patients with seminal vesicle invasion were identified: 45 of these patients received adjuvant radiation therapy and 21 were observed. Radiation therapy was initiated within 4 months of prostatectomy. Median dose was 66 Gy (range, 60-70 Gy). Median follow-up from the day of surgery was 40.6 months (mean, 41.5; range, 12-99). Biochemical recurrence was defined as the first value > or = 0.2 ng/ml.


RESULTS
At two years, the proportion of patients free from biochemical recurrence was 80% in patients who received adjuvant radiation therapy versus 54% for those not given radiation therapy (P = 0.036). Actuarial biochemical recurrence at 5 years was 59% vs 41% for the radiation therapy and no radiation therapy groups, respectively. On univariate Cox regression model, the hazard of biochemical failure was also associated with a detectable (> or = 0.2 ng/ml) postsurgical prostate-specific antigen (P = 0.02) prior to radiation therapy. Pathological T stage (pT3b vs pT4), Gleason score, primary Gleason pattern and positive surgical margins were not significantly associated with biochemical recurrence. The hazard of biochemical failure was around 85% lower in the radiation therapy group than in the observation group (P = 0.002).


CONCLUSIONS
Data from the present series suggest that adjuvant radiation therapy for patients with seminal vesicle invasion and undetectable (< or = 0.2 ng/ml) postoperative prostate-specific antigen significantly reduces the likelihood of biochemical failure.
Division of Radiation Oncology, University of Magna Graecia, Catanzaro, Italy. carlo.greco@unicz.it
Carlo
C
Greco
Simona
S
Castiglioni
Andrei
A
Fodor
Ottavio
O
De Cobelli
Nadia
N
Longaretti
Bernardo
B
Rocco
Andrea
A
Vavassori
Roberto
R
Orecchia
D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness / Q000473:pathology; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen / Q000097:blood; D011468:Prostatectomy; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy* / Q000601:surgery*; D018714:Radiotherapy, Adjuvant; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016879:Salvage Therapy; D012669:Seminal Vesicles / Q000473:pathology*; D015996:Survival Rate
D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen