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External-beam radiotherapy for localized or locally advanced prostate cancer in Japan: a multi-institutional outcome analysis.

Nakamura K, Mizowaki T, Imada H, Karasawa K, Uno T, Onishi H, Nihei K, Sasaki S, Ogura M, Akimoto T

Department of Radiology, School of Medicine, Fukuoka University, Nanakuma 7-45-1, Jonan-ku, Fukuoka 814-0180, Japan. nakam@fukuoka-u.ac.jp

BACKGROUND: The outcomes of patients with localized or locally advanced prostate cancer treated with external-beam radiotherapy are not well known in Japan. METHODS: Thirty-four institutions combined data on 679 patients with localized or locally advanced prostate cancer treated with a total dose >/=60 Gy between 1995 and 2002. RESULTS: With a median follow-up of 46 months, the 5-year overall, clinical progression-free, and biochemical relapse-free survival rate were 93.0, 95.3 and 71.9% for all patients, respectively. The 5-year progression-free, and biochemical relapse-free survival rates according to the risk group were 100%, 90.8% in the low-risk group, 98.3%, 75.7% in the intermediate-risk group and 93.6%, 67.6% in the high-risk group, respectively. The multivariate analysis for biochemical relapse-free survival revealed that prostate-specific antigen (relative risk, 1.002; 95% CI, 1.001-1.003; P = 0.0041), Gleason score (relative risk, 1.166; 95% CI, 1.046-1.302; P = 0.0055), T classification (relative risk, 2.897; 95% CI, 1.999-4.230; P = 0.0000), pelvic irradiation (relative risk, 2.042; 95% CI, 1.328-3.273; P = 0.0008), and androgen abletion (relative risk, 0.321; 95% CI, 0.240-0.427; P = 0.0000) were significant prognostic factors. Only 1.1% of patients experienced late morbidity of Grade 3. CONCLUSION: Radiotherapy for prostate cancer seemed to be effective, with little risk of normal tissue complications.

Published 13 March 2008 in Jpn J Clin Oncol, 38(3): 200-4.
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