Clinical outcome and toxicity evaluation of simultaneous integrated boost pelvic IMRT/VMAT at different dose levels combined with androgen deprivation therapy in prostate cancer patients

Abstract

BackgroundThe role of dose escalation in patients receiving long-term androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) is still a controversial issue. The aim of the current study was to evaluate whether dose escalation for ≥76–80 Gy had any advantage in terms of biochemical disease-free survival (BDFS), distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS), or overall survival outcomes over the dose levels from 70 to <76 Gy.Patients and methodsThe study included a cohort of 24 patients classified with high- and intermediate-risk localized prostate cancer. All patients received ADT, starting at 4–6 months before radiation therapy and continued for a total period of 12–24 months in high-risk patients. The treatment plan was given in two phases. In the first phase, the nodal planning target volume (PTV) and the prostate PTV received 48.6 and 54 Gy, respectively, over 27 fractions. The treatment was applied through intensity-modulated radiation therapy or volumetric modulated arc therapy with a simultaneous integrated boost technique.ResultsMore than half of the patients were in T3–T4 stage, 79.1% of the patients were in the high-risk category, and all patients received ADT. The rate of acute grade II gastrointestinal and genitourinary toxicities in all patients were 41.7% and 62.5%, respectively. The rate of freedom from grade II rectal toxicity at 2 years was 89% and 83% for patients treated with dose levels <76 and ≥76 Gy, respectively. The rate of BDFS at 2 years was 90% and 85% for doses <76 and ≥76 Gy, respectively. The DMFS at 2 years was 100% and 76% for dose levels <76 and ≥76 Gy, respectively.ConclusionIn the current study, there were no significant differences in the BDFS and DMFS between patients treated with a dose of <76 and ≥76 Gy, including elective pelvic lymph nodes irradiation combined with ADT.

Retrospective study comparing MR-guided radiation therapy (MRgRT) setup strategies for prostate treatment: repositioning vs. replanning

“…The goal of radiation therapy is to deliver an accurate prescription dose to the target while minimizing the dose to normal tissue. External beam radiotherapy (EBRT) is a common definitive treatment option for localized prostate cancer [1–7]. In the last decade, significant technological advances in EBRT have been achieved.…”

“…In the last decade, significant technological advances in EBRT have been achieved. Intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) is a type of conformal radiation therapy and is widely used to treat prostate cancer [1, 7, 8]. However, the complexity of the treatment delivery and inter- and intra-fraction variations are a concern when using IMRT for prostate cancer [9, 10].…”