Impact of Dose Escalation on the Efficacy of Salvage Radiotherapy for Recurrent Prostate Cancer—A Risk-Adjusted, Matched-Pair Analysis

Abstract

Previous randomized trials have not provided conclusive evidence about dose escalations and associated toxicities for salvage radiotherapy (SRT) in prostate cancer. Here, we retrospectively analyzed whether dose escalations influenced progression-free survival in 554 patients that received salvage radiotherapy for relapses or persistently elevated prostate cancer antigen (PSA) after a radical prostatectomy. Patients received SRT between 1997 and 2017 at two University Hospitals in Germany. We compared patient groups that received radiation doses n = 225) or ≥7000 cGy (n = 329) to analyze the influence of radiation dose on progression-free survival. In a second matched-pair analysis of 216 pairs, we evaluated prognostic factors (pT2 vs. pT3–4, Gleason score [GS] ≤ 7 vs. GS ≥ 8, R0 vs. R1, and pre-SRT PSA p = 0.0042). A multivariate analysis indicated that an escalated dose, lower tumor stages (pT2 vs. pT3/4), and lower GSs (≤7 vs. 8–10) were associated with improved progression-free survival. There was no significant effect on overall survival. Our data suggested that escalating the radiation dose to ≥7000 cGy for SRT after a prostatectomy significantly improved progression-free survival. Longer follow-ups are needed for a comprehensive recommendation.

Keywords

• prostate cancer
• radical prostatectomy
• salvage radiotherapy
• dose-escalation
• matched-pair analysis