Introduction: Salvage stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) for localized prostate cancer recurrence following radiation therapy remains controversial. We performed a systematic review to assess the efficacy and side effect profile of salvage SBRT for locally recurrent prostate cancer to define the role of salvage SBRT in clinical practice.Methods: A systematic review was carried out using Pubmed (MEDLINE) and Scopus databases. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were satisfied if studies reported on patients with prior radiation therapy for prostate cancer who had subsequently had a local recurrence. Those studies included were quality assessed using the ROBINS-I checklist.Results: Five studies in total met criteria for inclusion and included all reportable outcomes. A total of 265 participants are reported on in total. Median doses for SBRT ranged from 30 to 36 Gy delivered over 5−6 fractions. Recurrence free survival ranged from 40% to 76% at 2 years. Genitourinary toxicity was more prevalent than gastrointestinal toxicities. Grade 2 and 3 genitourinary complication rates ranged from 5% to 22% and 0% to 9%, respectively. Gastrointestinal grade 2 complication rates ranged from 0% to 11% and no grade 3 complications were recorded.Discussion: Salvage SBRT appears to be comparable and potentially superior in some aspects to other salvage therapies, taking into account the limitations in cross-study comparisons. This systematic review serves as one of the first to characterize SBRT as a salvage option for locally recurrent prostate cancer.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.