title: Measuring time to biochemical failure in the TROG 96.01 trial: when should the clock start ticking?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We sought to determine whether short-term neoadjuvant androgen deprivation (STAD) duration influences the optimal time point from which Phoenix fail (time to biochemical failure; TTBF) should be measured.
  
  
  METHODS
  In the Trans-Tasman Radiation Oncology Group 96.01 trial, men with locally advanced prostate cancer were randomized to 3 or 6 months STAD before and during prostatic irradiation (XRT) or to XRT alone. The prognostic value of TTBF measured from the end of radiation (ERT) and randomization were compared using Cox models.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Between 1996 and 2000, 802 eligible patients were randomized. In 436 men with Phoenix failure, TTBF measured from randomization was a powerful predictor of prostate cancer-specific survival and marginally more accurate than TTBF measured from ERT in Cox models. Insufficient data were available to confirm that TTBF measured from testosterone recovery may also be a suitable option.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  TTBF measured from randomization (commencement of therapy) performed well in this trial dataset and will be a convenient option if this finding holds in other datasets that include long-term androgen deprivation data.
authors: School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia. Jim.Denham@newcastle.edu.au
authors: James W
authors: JW
authors: Denham
authors: Allison
authors: A
authors: Steigler
authors: Mahesh
authors: M
authors: Kumar
authors: David S
authors: DS
authors: Lamb
authors: David
authors: D
authors: Joseph
authors: Nigel A
authors: NA
authors: Spry
authors: Keen-Hun
authors: KH
authors: Tai
authors: Chris
authors: C
authors: Atkinson
authors: Sandra
authors: S
authors: Turner
authors: Peter B
authors: PB
authors: Greer
authors: Paul S
authors: PS
authors: Gleeson
authors: Catherine
authors: C
authors: D'Este
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000726:Androgen Antagonists / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020360:Neoadjuvant Therapy; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000097:blood; D010173:Palpation; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen / Q000097:blood*; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000401:mortality / Q000532:radiotherapy; D013739:Testosterone / Q000097:blood; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D000726:Androgen Antagonists; D013739:Testosterone; D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen