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Predictors of mortality after prostate-specific antigen failure.

D'Amico AV, Kantoff P, Loffredo M, Renshaw AA, Loffredo B, Chen MH

Department of Radiation Oncology, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA. adamico@lroc.harvard.edu

PURPOSE: We identified factors associated with the length of survival after prostate-specific antigen (PSA) failure. METHODS AND MATERIALS: The study cohort comprised 81 of 206 men enrolled on a randomized trial evaluating external-beam radiation therapy (RT) with or without androgen suppression therapy (AST) and who experienced PSA failure. Salvage AST was administered at a PSA level of approximately 10 ng/mL as per protocol. Cox regression was used to determine factors associated with length of survival after PSA failure. RESULTS: A PSA DT (doubling time) <6 months (p = 0.04) and age at the time of PSA failure (p = 0.009) were significantly associated with length of survival. By 5 years, 35% and 65% of all-cause mortality was from prostate cancer in men whose age at PSA failure was 75 or higher vs. <75, respectively. Across all ages, 0%, 4%, as compared with 63% of men, were estimated to die of prostate cancer within 5 years after PSA failure if their PSA DT was >12, 6-12, or <6 months, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Advanced age and a PSA DT <6 months at the time of PSA failure are associated with a significantly shorter survival.

Published 5 June 2006 in Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys, 65(3): 656-60.
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