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Background: Ultrahypofractionated stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) has become a standard treatment intervention for localized prostate cancer., Objective: To report final long-term tumor control outcomes and late gastrointestinal (GI) and genitourinary (GU) toxicities from a single-center phase 1 dose escalation study using SBRT for patients with low- or intermediate-risk prostate cancer., Design, Setting and Participants: Between 2009 and 2012, 136 patients were enrolled and treated. The initial dose level was 32.5 Gy in five fractions. Doses were then sequentially escalated to 35 Gy, 37.5 Gy, and 40 Gy in five fractions delivered every other day., Outcome Measurements and Statistical Analysis: The primary endpoint was late treatment-related toxicity. Secondary endpoints included prostate-specific antigen (PSA) failure., Results and Limitations: The median follow-up was 10.5 yr for the 32.5-Gy group, 9.9 yr for the 35-Gy group, 8.2 yr for the 37.5-Gy group, and 7.3 yr for the 40-Gy group. The 8-yr cumulative incidence of PSA failure was 26% for 32.5 Gy, 15% for 35 Gy, 3.4% for 37.5 Gy, and 6.6% for 40 Gy. Higher radiation dose (37.5-40 Gy) and favorable intermediate risk (vs unfavorable intermediate risk) were associated with better PSA recurrence rates (p = 0.011 and 0.002, respectively). The 8-yr actuarial probability rates for survival free from late grade ≥2 toxicity were 94% for GI toxicity and 86% for GU toxicity. No grade 4 events were recorded. Higher dose levels were not associated with higher rates of late grade ≥2 GI (p = 0.2) or GU (p > 0.9) toxicity., Conclusions: SBRT doses ranging from 32.5 to 40 Gy were associated with low incidence of moderate or severe toxicities. Higher doses resulted in superior disease control outcomes 8 yr after treatment., Patient Summary: We investigated the association between the radiotherapy dose used and the rate of control of prostate cancer. We found that higher doses resulted in more favorable outcomes without excess toxicity. This trial is registered on ClinicalTrials.gov as NCT00911118., (Copyright © 2023 European Association of Urology. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: The use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in radiotherapy planning is becoming more widespread, particularly with the emergence of MRI-guided radiotherapy systems. Existing guidelines for defining the prostate bed clinical target volume (CTV) show considerable heterogeneity. This study aimed to establish baseline interobserver variability (IOV) for prostate bed CTV contouring on MRI, develop international consensus guidelines, and evaluate its effect on IOV., Methods and Materials: Participants delineated the CTV on 3 MRI scans, obtained from the Elekta Unity MR-Linac, as per their normal practice. Radiation oncologist contours were visually examined for discrepancies, and interobserver comparisons were evaluated against simultaneous truth and performance level estimation (STAPLE) contours using overlap metrics (Dice similarity coefficient and Cohen's kappa), distance metrics (mean distance to agreement and Hausdorff distance), and volume measurements. A literature review of postradical prostatectomy local recurrence patterns was performed and presented alongside IOV results to the participants. Consensus guidelines were collectively constructed, and IOV assessment was repeated using these guidelines., Results: Sixteen radiation oncologists' contours were included in the final analysis. Visual evaluation demonstrated significant differences in the superior, inferior, and anterior borders. Baseline IOV assessment indicated moderate agreement for the overlap metrics while volume and distance metrics demonstrated greater variability. Consensus for optimal prostate bed CTV boundaries was established during a virtual meeting. After guideline development, a decrease in IOV was observed. The maximum volume ratio decreased from 4.7 to 3.1 and volume coefficient of variation reduced from 40% to 34%. The mean Dice similarity coefficient rose from 0.72 to 0.75 and the mean distance to agreement decreased from 3.63 to 2.95 mm., Conclusions: Interobserver variability in prostate bed contouring exists among international genitourinary experts, although this is lower than previously reported. Consensus guidelines for MRI-based prostate bed contouring have been developed, and this has resulted in an improvement in contouring concordance. However, IOV persists and strategies such as an education program, development of a contouring atlas, and further refinement of the guidelines may lead to additional improvements., (Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

A single-institution prospective pilot clinical trial was performed to demonstrate the feasibility of combining [ 177 Lu]Lu-PSMA-617 radiopharmaceutical therapy (RPT) with stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) for the treatment of oligometastatic castration-sensitive prostate cancer. Methods: Six patients with 9 prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA)-positive oligometastases received 2 cycles of [ 177 Lu]Lu-PSMA-617 RPT followed by SBRT. After the first intravenous infusion of [ 177 Lu]Lu-PSMA-617 (7.46 ± 0.15 GBq), patients underwent SPECT/CT at 3.2 ± 0.5, 23.9 ± 0.4, and 87.4 ± 12.0 h. Voxel-based dosimetry was performed with calibration factors (11.7 counts per second/MBq) and recovery coefficients derived from in-house phantom experiments. Lesions were segmented on baseline PSMA PET/CT (50% SUV max ). After a second cycle of [ 177 Lu]Lu-PSMA-617 (44 ± 3 d; 7.50 ± 0.10 GBq) and an interim PSMA PET/CT scan, SBRT (27 Gy in 3 fractions) was delivered to all PSMA-avid oligometastatic sites, followed by post-PSMA PET/CT. RPT and SBRT voxelwise dose maps were scaled (α/β = 3 Gy; repair half-time, 1.5 h) to calculate the biologically effective dose (BED). Results: All patients completed the combination therapy without complications. No grade 3+ toxicities were noted. The median of the lesion SUV max as measured on PSMA PET was 16.8 (interquartile range [IQR], 11.6) (baseline), 6.2 (IQR, 2.7) (interim), and 2.9 (IQR, 1.4) (post). PET-derived lesion volumes were 0.4-1.7 cm 3 The median lesion-absorbed dose (AD) from the first cycle of [ 177 Lu]Lu-PSMA-617 RPT (AD RPT ) was 27.7 Gy (range, 8.3-58.2 Gy; corresponding to 3.7 Gy/GBq, range, 1.1-7.7 Gy/GBq), whereas the median lesion AD from SBRT was 28.1 Gy (range, 26.7-28.8 Gy). Spearman rank correlation, ρ, was 0.90 between the baseline lesion PET SUV max and SPECT SUV max ( P = 0.005), 0.74 ( P = 0.046) between the baseline PET SUV max and the lesion AD RPT , and -0.81 ( P = 0.022) between the lesion AD RPT and the percent change in PET SUV max (baseline to interim). The median for the lesion BED from RPT and SBRT was 159 Gy (range, 124-219 Gy). ρ between the BED from RPT and SBRT and the percent change in PET SUV max (baseline to post) was -0.88 ( P = 0.007). Two cycles of [ 177 Lu]Lu-PSMA-617 RPT contributed approximately 40% to the maximum BED from RPT and SBRT. Conclusion: Lesional dosimetry in patients with oligometastatic castration-sensitive prostate cancer undergoing [ 177 Lu]Lu-PSMA-617 RPT followed by SBRT is feasible. Combined RPT and SBRT may provide an efficient method to maximize the delivery of meaningful doses to oligometastatic disease while addressing potential microscopic disease reservoirs and limiting the dose exposure to normal tissues., (© 2023 by the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging.)

Purpose: Keratinocyte carcinomas are amenable to many treatments, including radiation therapy (RT). Electronic skin surface brachytherapy (ESSB) enables the precise delivery of radiation without radioisotopes. In this prospective multicenter clinical trial, we characterized early outcomes of ESSB prospectively through both patient- and clinician-reported measures. To corroborate the cosmesis observations, we also assessed patient-reported quality of life (QoL) and adverse events., Methods and Materials: Patients ≥60 years old with stage T 1 N 0 M 0 keratinocyte carcinoma were treated with ESSB. At 2-, 6-, and 12-weeks post-treatment, cosmesis from ESSB was assessed by both the patient and a clinician study investigator as either "good," "fair," or "bad." The Skindex-16 and the Skin Cancer Index (SCI) were used to assess patient QoL before and after treatment. Adverse events were assessed using the Common Toxicity Criteria for Adverse Events, version 4.0., Results: Cosmesis and QoL were collected at 97% (99/102) of possible patient follow-up times. By 12 weeks post-treatment, 93.9% (31/33) of patient-reported and 96.9% (31/32) of clinician-reported cosmesis outcomes were "good." Compared with baseline, total Skindex-16 score significantly deteriorated at 2 weeks post-treatment (10.5 vs 24.5, P <.001), but significantly improved at 6 weeks (10.5 vs 4.7, P = .014) and 12 weeks (10.5 vs 2.1, P = .001) post-treatment. The total SCI score significantly improved from baseline to 6 weeks (78.4 vs 89.0, P = .001) post-treatment. The most frequent adverse events were radiation dermatitis, skin pain, and pruritus. All adverse events resolved to Grade ≤1 by 12 weeks post-treatment., Conclusions: This prospective, multicenter study demonstrated that ESSB is associated with a high rate of "good" early patient-reported cosmesis and increasing QoL and satisfaction with time. Validated assessments demonstrated a significant improvement in quality of life and resolution of moderate early adverse events by 6 to 12 weeks after treatment and corroborate the observation of favorable cosmesis., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background and Purpose: Local recurrences after previous radiotherapy (RT) are increasingly being identified in biochemically recurrent prostate cancer. Salvage prostate brachytherapy (BT) is an effective and well tolerated treatment option. We sought to generate international consensus statements on the use and preferred technical considerations for salvage prostate BT., Materials and Methods: International experts in salvage prostate BT were invited (n = 34) to participate. A three-round modified Delphi technique was utilized, with questions focused on patient- and cancer-specific criteria, type and technique of BT, and follow-up. An a priori threshold for consensus of ≥ 75% was set, with a majority opinion being ≥ 50%., Results: Thirty international experts agreed to participate. Consensus was achieved for 56% (18/32) of statements. Consensus was achieved in several areas of patient selection: 1) A minimum of 2-3 years from initial RT to salvage BT; 2) MRI and PSMA PET should be obtained; and 3) Both targeted and systematic biopsies should be performed. Several areas did not reach consensus: 1) Maximum T stage/PSA at time of salvage; 2) Utilization/duration of ADT; 3) Appropriateness of combining local salvage with SABR for oligometastatic disease and 4) Repeating a second course of salvage BT. A majority opinion preferred High Dose-Rate salvage BT, and indicated that both focal and whole gland techniques could be appropriate. There was no single preferred dose/fractionation., Conclusion: Areas of consensus within our Delphi study may serve as practical advice for salvage prostate BT. Future research in salvage BT should address areas of controversy identified in our study., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Various radiotherapeutic regimens are used in the treatment of bladder cancer., Objective: We aimed to evaluate early toxicity and outcomes associated with hypofractionated radiation therapy (Hypo-RT), 55Gy in 20 fractions., Material and Methods: We identified 40 patients who received definitive Hypo-RT for localized bladder cancer. Most patients were men (62.5%), elderly (median age 82), had high Charlson Comorbidity Index score (median 7, range 4-9) and were nonsurgical candidates (80%). Sixty-eight percent had a macroscopically complete transurethral resection of bladder tumor (TURBT) and 33 patients (82.5%) received concurrent chemotherapy. Acute (< =3mo) and late (>3mo) toxicities were assessed according to CTCAE v4.0. Survival outcomes were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Median follow up after Hypo-RT was 32 months (95% CI: 28-49 months)., Results: Overall rates of acute grade 2 genitourinary (GU) and gastrointestinal (GI) toxicities were 40% each, most commonly urinary frequency and diarrhea. Two cases of acute grade 3 GU/GI toxicity occurred. Late grade 2+ toxicity occurred in 3 patients (7.5%): 2 grade 2 GU and 1 grade 3 GI. Seventy-seven percent achieved a complete response (CR). Six patients (20%) developed disease recurrence at a median time of 9.1 months. The estimated 2-year DFS and 2-year DSS rate were 59% (95% CI, 45-78%) and 78% (95% CI, 65-93%), respectively. Receipt of concurrent chemotherapy ( p  = 0.003) and achieving a CR ( p  = 0.018) were univariably associated with improved DSS. Tis component was associated with worse DSS ( p  = 0.015)., Conclusion: Hypo-RT had a favorable toxicity profile and encouraging cancer control outcomes in this mostly elderly and frail patient cohort., Competing Interests: Jonathan E. Rosenberg and Bernard Bochner are Editorial Board Members of this journal, but were not involved in the peer-review process nor had access to any information regarding its peer-review. Assaf Moore, Stephanie M. Lobaugh, Zhigang Zhang, Gopa Iyer, Min Yuen Teo, Timothy Donahue, David Aramburu Nunez, Alexandra Dreyfuss, Daniel Gorovets, Michael J. Zelefsky and Marisa A. Kollmeier report no perceived conflicts of interest relevant to the current work., (© 2023 – The authors. Published by IOS Press.)

Purpose: Brain metastases are rare in patients with prostate cancer and portend poor outcome. Prostate-specific membrane antigen positron emission tomography (PSMA PET)/CT scans including the brain have identified incidental tumors. We sought to identify the incidental brain tumor detection rate of PSMA PET/CT performed at initial diagnosis or in the setting of biochemical recurrence., Methods: An institutional database was queried for patients who underwent 68 Ga-PSMA-11 or 18 F-DCFPyL ( 18 F-piflufolastat) PET/CT imaging at an NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center from 1/2018 to 12/2022. Imaging reports and clinical courses were reviewed to identify brain lesions and describe clinical and pathologic features., Results: Two-thousand seven hundred and sixty-three patients underwent 3363 PSMA PET/CT scans in the absence of neurologic symptoms. Forty-four brain lesions were identified, including 33 PSMA-avid lesions: 10 intraparenchymal metastases (30%), 4 dural-based metastases (12%), 16 meningiomas (48%), 2 pituitary macroadenomas (6%), and 1 epidermal inclusion cyst (3%) (incidences of 0.36, 0.14, 0.58, 0.07, and 0.04%). The mean parenchymal metastasis diameter and mean SUVmax were 1.99 cm (95%CI:1.25-2.73) and 4.49 (95%CI:2.41-6.57), respectively. At the time of parenchymal brain metastasis detection, 57% of patients had no concurrent extracranial disease, 14% had localized prostate disease only, and 29% had extracranial metastases. Seven of 8 patients with parenchymal brain metastases remain alive at a median 8.8 months follow-up., Conclusion: Prostate cancer brain metastases are rare, especially in the absence of widespread metastatic disease. Nevertheless, incidentally detected brain foci of PSMA uptake may represent previously unknown prostate cancer metastases, even in small lesions and in the absence of systemic disease., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Background: A positive post-treatment prostate biopsy following definitive radiotherapy carries significant prognostic implications., Objective: To determine whether local recurrences after prostate stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) are associated with the presence of and occur more commonly within the region of a PI-RADS 4 or 5 dominant intra-prostatic lesion (DIL) identified on pre-treatment multi-parametric magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)., Design, Setting, and Participants: 247 patients with localized prostate cancer treated with SBRT at our institution from 2009-2018 underwent post-treatment biopsies (median time to biopsy: 2.2 years) to evaluate local control., Interventions: Prostate SBRT (median 40 Gy in 5 fractions)., Outcome Measurements and Statistical Analysis: MRIs were read by a single diagnostic radiologist blinded to other patient characteristics and treatment outcomes. The DIL presence, size, location, and extent were then analyzed to determine associations with the post-treatment biopsy outcomes., Results and Limitations: Among patients who underwent post-treatment biopsies, 39/247 (15.8%) were positive for Gleason-gradable prostate adenocarcinoma, of which 35/39 (90%) had a DIL initially present and 29/39 (74.4%) had a positive biopsy within the DIL. Factors independently associated with post-treatment biopsy outcomes included the presence of a DIL (OR 6.95; p = 0.001), radiographic T3 disease (OR 5.23, p < 0.001), SBRT dose ≥40 Gy (OR 0.26, p = 0.003), and use of androgen deprivation therapy (ADT; OR 0.28, p = 0.027). Among patients with a DIL (N = 149), the only factors associated with post-treatment biopsy outcomes included ≥50% percent cores positive (OR 2.4, p = 0.037), radiographic T3 disease (OR 4.04, p = 0.001), SBRT dose ≥40 Gy (OR 0.22, p < 0.001), and use of ADT (OR 0.21, p = 0.014)., Conclusions: Our results suggest that men with PI-RADS 4 or 5 DILs have a higher risk of local recurrence after prostate SBRT and that most recurrences are located within the DIL., Patient Summary: We found the presence of a dominant tumor on pre-treatment MRI was strongly associated with residual cancer within the prostate after SBRT and that most recurrences were within the dominant tumor., (Copyright © 2022 European Association of Urology. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: The International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) is a widely used tool for evaluating patient-reported lower urinary tract symptoms. In this study, we assessed patients with prostate cancer and their understanding of IPSS questions., Methods and Materials: Consecutive patients with prostate cancer (N = 144) self-completed an online IPSS questionnaire within 1 week before their visit at our radiation oncology clinic. At the visit, a nurse reviewed each IPSS question to ensure the patient understood it and then verified the patient's answer. Preverified and nurse-verified scores were recorded and analyzed for discrepancies., Results: Complete concordance between preverified and nurse-verified responses to individual IPSS questions existed for 70 men (49%). In terms of overall IPSS score, 61 men (42%) had a lower or improved IPSS after nurse verification, and 9 men (6%) had a higher or worse IPSS. Before verification, patients overstated their symptoms of frequency, intermittency, and incomplete emptying. As a result of the nurse verification, 4 of 7 patients with IPSS in the severe range (20-35) were recategorized to the moderate range (8-19). Sixteen percent of patients whose preverified IPSS were in the moderate range were recategorized after nurse verification to the mild range (0-7). Treatment option eligibility changed for 10% of patients after nurse verification., Conclusions: Patients frequently misunderstand the IPSS questionnaire, leading them to respond in ways that do not accurately reflect their symptoms. Clinicians should verify patient understanding of the IPSS questions, particularly when using the score to determine eligibility for treatments., (© 2023 The Authors.)

Introduction: Using an magnetic resonance linear accelerator (MR-Linac) may improve the precision of visible tumor boosting with ultra-hypofractionation by accounting for daily positional changes in the target and organs at risk (OAR)., Patients and Methods: Fifteen patients with prostate cancer and an MR-detected dominant lesion were treated on the MR-Linac with stereotactic body radiation (SBRT) to 40 Gy in 5 fractions, boosting the gross tumor volume (GTV) to 45 Gy with daily adaptive planning. Imaging was acquired again after initial planning (verification scan), and immediately after treatment (post-treatment scan). Prior to beam-on, additional adjustments were made on the verification scan. Contours were retrospectively adjusted on verification and post-treatment scans, and the daily plan recalculated on these scans to estimate the true dose delivered., Results: The median prostate D95% for plan 1, 2 and 3 was 40.3 Gy, 40.5 Gy and 40.3 Gy and DIL D95% was 45.7 Gy, 45.2 Gy and 44.6 Gy, respectively. Bladder filling was associated with reduced GTV coverage (p = 0.03, plan 1 vs 2) and prostate coverage (p = 0.03, plan 2 vs 3). The D0.035 cc constraint was exceeded on verification and post-treatment plans in 24 % and 33 % of fractions for the urethra, 31 % and 45 % for the bladder, and 35 % and 25 % for the rectum, respectively., Conclusion: MR-Linac guided, daily adaptive SBRT with focal boosting of the GTV yields acceptable planned and delivered dosimetry. Adaptive planning with a MR-Linac may reliably deliver the prescribed dose to the intended tumor target., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Purpose: Although hydrogel spacer placement (HSP) minimizes rectal dose during prostate cancer radiation therapy, its potential benefit for modulating rectal toxicity could depend on the achieved prostate-rectal separation. We therefore developed a quality metric associated with rectal dose reduction and late rectal toxicity among patients treated with prostate stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT)., Methods and Materials: A quality metric consisting of prostate-rectal interspace measurements from axial T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging simulation images was applied to 42 men enrolled in a multi-institutional phase 2 study using HSP with prostate SBRT (45 Gy in 5 fractions). A score of 0, 1, or 2 was assigned to a prostate-rectal interspace measurement of <0.3 cm, 0.3 to 0.9 cm, or ≥1 cm, respectively. An overall spacer quality score (SQS) was computed from individual scores at rectal midline and ±1 cm laterally, located at the prostate base, midgland, and apex. Associations of SQS with rectal dosimetry and late toxicity were evaluated., Results: The majority of the analyzed cohort had an SQS of 1 (n = 17; 41%) or 2 (n = 18; 43%). SQS was associated with maximum rectal point dose (rectal Dmax; P  = .002), maximum dose to 1 cc of rectum (D1cc; P  = .004), and volume of rectum receiving ≥100% of prescription dose (V45; P  = .046) and ≥40 Gy (V40; P  = .005). SQS was also associated with a higher incidence of ( P  = .01) and highest-graded late rectal toxicity ( P  = .01). Among the 20 men who developed late grade ≥1 rectal toxicity, 57%, 71%, and 22% had an SQS of 0, 1, and 2, respectively. Men with an SQS of 0 or 1 compared with 2 had 4.67-fold (95% CI, 0.72-30.11) or 8.40-fold (95% CI, 1.83-38.57) greater odds, respectively, of developing late rectal toxicity., Conclusions: We developed a reliable and informative metric for assessing HSP, which appears to be associated with rectal dosimetry and late rectal toxicity after prostate SBRT., (© 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. on behalf of American Society for Radiation Oncology.)

Objective: To characterize patterns of failure using prostate-specific membrane antigen positron emission tomography (PSMA PET) after radical prostatectomy (RP) and salvage radiotherapy (SRT)., Methods: Patients with rising PSA post-RP+SRT underwent 68 Ga-HBED-iPSMA PET/CT on a single-arm, prospective imaging trial (NCT03204123). Scans were centrally reviewed with pattern-of-failure analysis by involved site. Positive scans were classified using 3 failure categories: pelvic nodal, extra-pelvic nodal or distant non-nodal. Associations with failure categories were analyzed using cumulative incidence and generalized logits regression., Results: We included 133 men who received SRT a median of 20 months post-RP; 56% received SRT to the prostatic fossa alone, while 44% received pelvic SRT. PSMA PET/CT was performed a median of 48 months post-SRT. Overall, 31% of PSMA PET/CT scans were negative, 2% equivocal and 67% had at least 1 positive site. Scan detection was significantly associated with PSA level prior to PSMA PET/CT. Analysis of 89 positive scans demonstrated pelvic nodal (53%) was the most common relapse and fossa relapse was low (9%). Overall, positive scans were pelvic (n = 35, 26%), extra-pelvic nodal (n = 26, 20%) or distant non-nodal failure (n = 28, 21%), and 70% of positive scans were oligorecurrent. We observed similar cumulative incidence for all failure categories and relatively few clinicodemographic associations. Men treated with pelvic SRT had reduced odds of pelvic failure versus exclusive fossa treatment., Conclusion: Pelvic, extra-pelvic nodal, and distant non-nodal failures occur with similar incidence post-SRT. Regional nodal relapse is relatively common, especially with fossa-only SRT. A high oligorecurrence rate suggests a potentially important role for PSMA-guided focal therapies., (Copyright © 2022. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Introduction: Radiation therapy (RT) for anorectal cancer after prior prostate cancer RT is usually avoided due to concern for complications. Data on this topic is scarce. Our aim was to evaluate tolerability, toxicity, and clinical outcomes associated with a second course of pelvic radiation in men with de novo anorectal cancers previously treated with RT for prostate cancer., Materials/methods: We conducted a single-institution retrospective study of men treated with RT for rectal or anal cancer after prior prostate RT. Toxicity data were collected. Treatment plans were extracted to assess doses to organs at risk and target coverage. Cumulative incidence was calculated for local and distant progression. Kaplan-Meier curves were used to estimate overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS)., Results: We identified 26 patients who received anorectal RT after prostate cancer RT: 17 for rectal cancer and 9 for anal cancer. None had metastatic disease. Prior prostate RT was delivered using low dose rate brachytherapy (LDR), external beam RT (EBRT), or EBRT + LDR. RT for rectal cancer was delivered most commonly using 50.4Gy/28 fractions (fr) or 1.5 Gy twice-daily to 30-45 Gy. The most used RT dose for anal cancer was 50Gy/25 fr. Median interval between prostate and anorectal RT was 12.3 years (range:0.5 - 25.3). 65% and 89% of rectal and anal cancer patients received concurrent chemotherapy, respectively. There were no reported ≥Grade 4 acute toxicities. Two patients developed fistulae; one was urinary-cutaneous after prostate LDR and 45Gy/25fr for rectal cancer, and the other was recto-vesicular after prostate LDR and 50Gy/25fr for anal cancer. In 11 patients with available dosimetry, coverage for anorectal cancers was adequate. With a median follow up of 84.4 months, 5-yr local progression and OS were 30% and 31% for rectal cancer, and 35% and 49% for anal cancer patients, respectively., Conclusion: RT for anorectal cancer after prior prostate cancer RT is feasible but should be delivered with caution since it poses a risk of fistulae and possibly bleeding, especially in patients treated with prior LDR brachytherapy. Further studies, perhaps using proton therapy and/or rectal hydrogel spacers, are needed to further decrease toxicity and improve outcomes., Competing Interests: PR reports prior research funding from and is a consultant for EMD Serono. MJZ is a consultant for Boston Scientific. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Hilal, Wu, Reyngold, Cuaron, Navilio, Romesser, Dreyfuss, Yin, Zhang, Bai, Berry, Zinovoy, Nusrat, Pappou, Zelefsky, Crane and Hajj.)

Purpose/objective: To compare toxicity profiles of low-dose rate (LDR) and high-dose rate (HDR) brachytherapy boost combined with ultra-hypofractionated external beam radiation therapy (UH-EBRT)., Materials/methods: 99 patients with intermediate-risk prostate cancer underwent an HDR (n = 59) or LDR (n = 40) boost combined with UH-EBRT (5 Gy x 5) . HDR (Ir-192) was delivered a single dose (15 Gy) and LDR (Pd-103) prescription dose was 100 Gy. Median baseline IPSS was 5 for both cohorts. Median follow-up was 29.3mos. Cumulative incidences were calculated for toxicity. Fisher exact tests were used to evaluate associations., Results: Overall incidence of grade 2 genitourinary toxicity for the entire cohort at 12 and 24 months was 21% and 29%, respectively. The incidence of grade 2 genitourinary toxicity at 12 and 24 months was higher for LDR cohort compared with HDR cohort (45% vs 5.1% and 55% vs 11%; p<0.001). On MVA, only treatment regimen (LDR versus HDR) was associated with grade 2+ genitourinary toxicity (p<0.001). Two patients experienced grade 2 rectal toxicity in each cohort. No grade > 3 toxicities were observed., Conclusions: Both LDR and HDR brachytherapy combined with UH-EBRT had favorable toxicity profiles, but significantly less grade 2+ genitourinary toxicity was observed in patients receiving HDR., (Copyright © 2022 American Brachytherapy Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: Community-academic partnerships have the potential to improve access to clinical trials for under-represented minority patients who more often receive cancer treatment in community settings. In 2017, the Memorial Sloan Kettering (MSK) Cancer Center began opening investigator-initiated clinical trials in radiation oncology in targeted community-based partner sites with a high potential to improve diverse population accrual. This study evaluates the effectiveness of a set of implementation strategies for increasing overall community-based enrollment and the resulting proportional enrollment of Hispanic patients on trials on the basis of availability in community-based partner sites., Methods: An interrupted time series analysis evaluating implementation strategies was conducted from April 2018 to September 2021. Descriptive analysis ofHispanic enrollment on investigator-initiated randomized therapeutic radiation trials open at community-based sites was compared with those open only at themain academic center., Results: Overall, 84 patients were enrolled in clinical trials in the MSK Alliance, of which 48 (56%) identified as Hispanic. The quarterly patient enrollment pre- vs postimplementation increased from 1.39 (95% CI, -3.67 to 6.46) to 9.42 (95% CI, 2.05 to 16.78; P5 .017). In the investigator-initiated randomized therapeutic radiation trials open in the MSK Alliance, Hispanic representation was 11.5% and 35.9% in twometastatic trials and 14.2% in a proton versus photon trial. Inmatched trials open only at the main academic center, Hispanic representation was 5.6%, 6.0%, and 4.0%, respectively., Conclusion: A combination of practice-level and physician-level strategies implemented at community-based partner sites was associated with increased clinical trial enrollment, which translated to improved Hispanic representation. This supports the role Q:2 of strategic community-academic partnerships in addressing disparities in clinical trial enrollment., Competing Interests: Daniel R. GomezHonoraria: Varian Medical Systems, Merck, Bristol Myers Squibb, AstraZeneca, RefleXion Medical, Vindico Medical Education, US Oncology, GRAILConsulting or Advisory Role: Olympus Medical Systems, Medtronic, Johnson & Johnson/JanssenResearch Funding: Merck, Varian Medical Systems, AstraZeneca, Bristol Myers SquibbTravel, Accommodations, Expenses: Varian Medical Systems, AstraZeneca, Merck, Vindico Medical Education, US Oncology, Driver Inc Jonathan T. YangStock and Other Ownership Interests: Nanocan TherapeuticsConsulting or Advisory Role: Debiopharm Group, Galera Therapeutics, AstraZeneca, Nanocan TherapeuticsResearch Funding: AstraZeneca, Kazia Therapeutics, X-RAD Therapeutics Nancy Y. LeeConsulting or Advisory Role: Merck, Pfizer, Merck Serono, Sanofi, Mirati Therapeutics, Roche/GenentechResearch Funding: AstraZeneca, Pfizer (Inst) Andreas RimnerHonoraria: More HealthConsulting or Advisory Role: AstraZeneca, Merck, Boehringer IngelheimResearch Funding: Varian Medical Systems (Inst), Boehringer Ingelheim (Inst), Pfizer (Inst), AstraZeneca (Inst), Merck (Inst) Yoshiya YamadaEmployment: Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer CenterLeadership: Chordoma FoundationHonoraria: Varian Medical Systems, BrainLAB, Vision RTSpeakers' Bureau: BrainLAB, Vision RT, Varian Medical SystemsResearch Funding: Varian Medical SystemsTravel, Accommodations, Expenses: Philips HealthcareOther Relationship: University of Wollongong Michael J. ZelefskyHonoraria: AccurayConsulting or Advisory Role: Alpha Tau, Boston ScientificPatents, Royalties, Other Intellectual Property: Ferring provided partial funding for a clinical trial (Inst)Other Relationship: Editor in Chief for Brachytherapy Noah S. KalmanConsulting or Advisory Role: Naveris Rupesh R. KotechaHonoraria: Accuray, Novocure, Elekta, BrainLAB, Elsevier, ViewRay, PeerViewConsulting or Advisory Role: ViewRay, NovocureSpeakers' Bureau: NovocureResearch Funding: Medtronic (Inst), Blue Earth Diagnostics (Inst), Novocure (Inst), GT Medical Technologies (Inst), AstraZeneca (Inst), Exelixis (Inst), ViewRay (Inst), BrainLAB (Inst)Travel, Accommodations, Expenses: PeerView Minesh P. MehtaLeadership: OncoceuticsStock and Other Ownership Interests: ChimerixConsulting or Advisory Role: Karyopharm Therapeutics, Mevion Medical Systems, ZappRx, Sapience Therapeutics, XoftPatents, Royalties, Other Intellectual Property: WARF patent 14/934,27, Topical vasoconstrictor preparations and methods for protecting cells during cancer chemotherapy and radiotherapyUncompensated Relationships: Xcision Medical Systems, ViewRay Michael D. ChuongEmployment: Fertility and IVF Center of MiamiHonoraria: ViewRay, Sirtex MedicalConsulting or Advisory Role: ViewRay, Advanced Accelerator ApplicationsSpeakers' Bureau: ViewRay, Sirtex MedicalResearch Funding: AstraZeneca/MedImmune, ViewRayTravel, Accommodations, Expenses: ViewRay Andrew L. SalnerConsulting or Advisory Role: Best Doctors Inc Jamie S. OstroffPatents, Royalties, Other Intellectual Property: UptoDate David G. PfisterConsulting or Advisory Role: Boehringer Ingelheim, IncyteResearch Funding: Boehringer Ingelheim (Inst), AstraZeneca (Inst), Exelixis (Inst), Novartis (Inst), MedImmune (Inst), Merck (Inst), Genentech/Roche (Inst), Lilly (Inst), Bayer (Inst), Eisai (Inst), Regeneron (Inst), Atara Biotherapeutics (Inst), MeiraGTx (Inst), Hookipa Pharma (Inst) Fumiko ChinoThis author is a Consultant Editor for JCO Oncology Practice. Journal policy recused the author from having any role in the peer review of this manuscript. Jillian TsaiHonoraria: Varian Medical IncConsulting or Advisory Role: Varian Medical Systems Erin F. GillespieOther Relationship: eContourNo other potential conflicts of interest were reported.

Objective: To determine the influence of rectal hydrogel spacer placement (HSP) on late rectal toxicity outcomes in prostate cancer patients treated with low-dose-rate (LDR) brachytherapy, with or without supplemental external beam radiotherapy (EBRT)., Patients and Methods: A total of 224 patients underwent LDR brachytherapy with HSP, as monotherapy or combined with EBRT, between January 2016 and December 2019. Dosimetric variables reflecting the extent of rectal sparing and late rectal toxicity outcomes were evaluated. This spacer cohort was retrospectively compared to a similar patient group (n = 139) in whom HSP was not used., Results: Hydrogel spacer placement was associated with significantly reduced rectal doses for all dosimetric variables; the median percentage rectal dose to 1 cc of rectum and rectal dose to 2 cc of rectum of the spacer cohort were all significantly lower compared to the non-spacer cohort. The incidence rates of overall (any grade) and grade ≥2 rectal toxicity were lower in patients with HSP compared to patients who did not undergo HSP: 12% and 1.8% vs 31% and 5.8%, respectively. The 3-year cumulative incidence of overall rectal toxicity was significantly lower with HSP than without (15% vs 33%; P < 0.001), corresponding to an overall rectal toxicity reduction on univariable analysis (hazard ratio 0.45, 95% confidence interval 0.28-0.73; P = 0.001). In this patient cohort treated with prostate brachytherapy, none of the urethral dosimetric variables or the presence or absence of HSP was associated with late urinary toxicity., Conclusion: Hydrogel rectal spacer placement is a safe procedure, associated with significantly reduced rectal dose. HSP translates to a decrease in overall late rectal toxicity in patients receiving dose-escalated brachytherapy-based procedures., (© 2021 The Authors BJU International © 2021 BJU International Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Purpose: The purpose of this guideline is to present evidence-based consensus recommendations for low dose rate (LDR) permanent seed brachytherapy for the primary treatment of prostate cancer., Methods and Materials: The American Brachytherapy Society convened a task force for addressing key questions concerning ultrasound-based LDR prostate brachytherapy for the primary treatment of prostate cancer. A comprehensive literature search was conducted to identify prospective and multi-institutional retrospective studies involving LDR brachytherapy as monotherapy or boost in combination with external beam radiation therapy with or without adjuvant androgen deprivation therapy. Outcomes included disease control, toxicity, and quality of life., Results: LDR prostate brachytherapy monotherapy is an appropriate treatment option for low risk and favorable intermediate risk disease. LDR brachytherapy boost in combination with external beam radiation therapy is appropriate for unfavorable intermediate risk and high-risk disease. Androgen deprivation therapy is recommended in unfavorable intermediate risk and high-risk disease. Acceptable radionuclides for LDR brachytherapy include iodine-125, palladium-103, and cesium-131. Although brachytherapy monotherapy is associated with increased urinary obstructive and irritative symptoms that peak within the first 3 months after treatment, the median time toward symptom resolution is approximately 1 year for iodine-125 and 6 months for palladium-103. Such symptoms can be mitigated with short-term use of alpha blockers. Combination therapy is associated with worse urinary, bowel, and sexual symptoms than monotherapy. A prostate specific antigen <= 0.2 ng/mL at 4 years after LDR brachytherapy may be considered a biochemical definition of cure., Conclusions: LDR brachytherapy is a convenient, effective, and well-tolerated treatment for prostate cancer., (Copyright © 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: This study evaluated outcomes associated with a high-dose-rate (HDR) brachytherapy boost combined with stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) for patients with higher-risk localized prostate cancer., Materials and Methods: We identified 101 patients with National Comprehensive Cancer Network high-risk, unfavorable intermediate-risk, or favorable intermediate-risk with probable extra-prostatic extension treated with HDR brachytherapy (15 Gy x 1 fraction) followed by SBRT (5 Gy x 5 daily fractions to the prostate and/or seminal vesicles and/or pelvic lymph nodes). Androgen deprivation therapy was used in 55.4% of all patients (90% of high-risk, 33% of intermediate-risk). Toxicities according to Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) v4.0 and International Prostate Symptom Scores were prospectively documented at each followup visit. Biochemical relapse was defined as PSA nadir +2ng/mL., Results: The median follow-up time after SBRT was 24.1 months. No grade ≥3 toxicities were observed. The incidence of acute and late grade 2 gastrointestinal toxicities was both 0.99%. Acute and late grade 2 genitourinary (GU) toxicities were observed in 5.9% and 9.9%, respectively. Median time to a grade 2 GU toxicity was 6 months with a 14% 2-year actuarial rate of grade 2 GU toxicity. Median International Prostate Symptom Scores at 24 months was not significantly different than baseline (6 vs. 5; p = 0.24). Inclusion of pelvic lymph nodes and absence of a rectal spacer were significantly associated with more frequent grade ≥1 GU toxicity, but not grade ≥2 GU or gastrointestinal toxicity. The 2-year biochemical relapse free survival was 97%., Conclusions: HDR brachytherapy combined with SBRT was associated with a favorable early toxicity profile and encouraging cancer control outcomes., (Copyright © 2021 American Brachytherapy Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Stereotactic Ablative Radiotherapy (SABR) is increasingly used to treat metastatic oligorecurrence and locoregional recurrences but limited evidence/guidance exists in the setting of pelvic re-irradiation. An international Delphi study was performed to develop statements to guide practice regarding patient selection, pre-treatment investigations, treatment planning, delivery and cumulative organs at risk (OARs) constraints., Materials and Methods: Forty-one radiation oncologists were invited to participate in three online surveys. In Round 1, information and opinion was sought regarding participants' practice. Guidance statements were developed using this information and in Round 2 participants were asked to indicate their level of agreement with each statement. Consensus was defined as ≥75% agreement. In Round 3, any statements without consensus were re-presented unmodified, alongside a summary of comments from Round 2., Results: Twenty-three radiation oncologists participated in Round 1 and, of these, 21 (91%) and 22 (96%) completed Rounds 2 and 3 respectively. Twenty-nine of 44 statements (66%) achieved consensus in Round 2. The remaining 15 statements (34%) did not achieve further consensus in Round 3. Consensus was achieved for 10 of 17 statements (59%) regarding patient selection/pre-treatment investigations; 12 of 13 statements (92%) concerning treatment planning and delivery; and 7 of 14 statements (50%) relating to OARs. Lack of agreement remained regarding the minimum time interval between irradiation courses, the number/size of pelvic lesions that can be treated and the most appropriate cumulative OAR constraints., Conclusions: This study has established consensus, where possible, in areas of patient selection, pre-treatment investigations, treatment planning and delivery for pelvic SABR re-irradiation for metastatic oligorecurrence and locoregional recurrences. Further research into this technique is required, especially regarding aspects of practice where consensus was not achieved., Competing Interests: Declarations/conflicts of interest statement FS is a Clinical Research Fellow supported by a Cancer Research UK Centres Network Accelerator Award to the ART-NET consortium (grant number A21993). FA reports speaker honoraria and consultancy for Varian and Elekta. BAJF reports institutional research funding grants from Italian Association for Cancer Research (AIRC), FIEO-CCM & FUV and Accuray, outside of the submitted work. BAJF reports travel expenses/speaker fees from Janssen, Ferring, Bayer, Roche, Astellas, Elekta, Carl Zeiss, Ipsen, Accuray and IBA, outside of the submitted work. MAH is supported by funding from the NIHR Biomedical Research Centre at University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. AMH is supported by grants from Cancer Research UK (award number 108036), National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) (award number 111218), Medical Research Council (MRC) (award number 107154) and Sir John Fisher Foundation (charity, no award number). LJM is an associate professor supported by a Yorkshire Cancer Research funded by Yorkshire Cancer Research (award number L389LM)., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: High-dose SABR for prostate cancer offers the radiobiologic potency of the most intensified radiation therapy regimens but was associated with >90% rates of ulceration of the anterior rectal wall on endoscopic assessment; this infrequently progressed to severe rectal toxicity in prior prospective series. A multi-institutional phase 2 prospective trial was conducted to assess whether placement of a perirectal hydrogel spacer would reduce acute periprostatic rectal ulcer events after high-dose (>40 Gy) SABR., Methods and Materials: Eligible patients included men with stage ≤T2c localized grade group 1 to 3 prostate cancer, a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level ≤15 ng/mL, American Urological Association Symptom Index = AUA-SI scores ≤18, and a gland volume ≤80 cm 3 . Patients underwent perirectal hydrogel spacer placement, followed by SABR of 45 Gy in 5 fractions every other day to the prostate only. Androgen deprivation was not allowed except for cytoreduction. The rectal wall was directly assessed by serial anoscopy during follow-up to determine whether the spacer would reduce acute periprostatic rectal ulcer events from >90% to <70% within 9 months of treatment., Results: Forty-four men were enrolled and 43 were eligible for protocol analysis. The median follow-up for surviving patients was 48 months. Acute periprostatic ulcers were observed in 6 of 42 patients (14.3%; 95% confidence interval, 6.0%-27%; P < .001) at a median of 2.9 months posttreatment (range, 1.7-5.6 months). All ulcers (grade 1, 5 ulcers; grade 2, 1 ulcer) resolved on repeat anoscopy within 8 months of incidence. There were no grade ≥3 late gastrointestinal toxicities; the incidence of late grade-2 gastrointestinal toxicities was 14.3%, with a prevalence at 3 years of 0%. No toxicities greater than grade 3 occurred in any domain. Four-year freedom from biochemical failure was 93.8% (95% CI, 85.2%-100.0%)., Conclusions: Temporary hydrogel spacer placement before high-dose SABR treatment for localized prostate cancer and use of strict dose constraints are associated with a significant reduction in the incidence of rectal ulcer events compared with prior phase 1/2 trial results., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: To quantitatively evaluate through automated simulations the clinical significance of potential high-dose rate (HDR) prostate brachytherapy (HDRPB) physics errors selected from our internal failure-modes and effect analysis (FMEA)., Methods and Materials: A list of failure modes was compiled and scored independently by 8 brachytherapy physicists on a one-to-ten scale for severity (S), occurrence (O), and detectability (D), with risk priority number (RPN) = SxOxD. Variability of RPNs across observers (standard deviation/average) was calculated. Six idealized HDRPB plans were generated, and error simulations were performed: single (N = 1722) and systematic (N = 126) catheter shifts (craniocaudal; -1cm:1 cm); single catheter digitization errors (tip and connector needle-tips displaced independently in random directions; 0.1 cm:0.5 cm; N = 44,318); and swaps (two catheters swapped during digitization or connection; N = 528). The deviations due to each error in prostate D90%, urethra D20%, and rectum D1cm 3 were analyzed using two thresholds: 5-20% (possible clinical impact) and >20% (potentially reportable events)., Results: Twenty-nine relevant failure modes were described. Overall, RPNs ranged from 6 to 108 (average ± 1 standard deviation, 46 ± 23), with responder variability ranging from 19% to 184% (average 75% ± 30%). Potentially reportable events were observed in the simulations for systematic shifts >0.4 cm for prostate and digitization errors >0.3 cm for the urethra and >0.4 cm for rectum. Possible clinical impact was observed for catheter swaps (all organs), systematic shifts >0.2 cm for prostate and >0.4 cm for rectum, and digitization errors >0.2 cm for prostate and >0.1 cm for urethra and rectum., Conclusions: A high variability in RPN scores was observed. Systematic simulations can provide insight in the severity scoring of multiple failure modes, supplementing typical FMEA approaches., Competing Interests: Conflict of Interest The authors do not have conflicts of interest related to this work to disclose., (Copyright © 2021 American Brachytherapy Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Salvage partial gland ablation (sPGA) has been proposed to treat some localized radiorecurrent prostate cancer. The role of prostate biopsy and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) characteristics to identify patients eligible for sPGA is unknown., Objective: To evaluate the ability of MRI and prostate biopsy characteristics to identify an index lesion suitable for sPGA and validate this selection using detailed tumor maps created from whole-mount slides from salvage radical prostatectomy (sRP) specimens., Design, Setting, and Participants: Men who underwent sRP for recurrent prostate cancer following primary radiotherapy with external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) and/or brachytherapy between 2000 and 2014 at a single high-volume cancer center were eligible. Those with tumor maps, MRI and biopsy data were included in analysis., Outcome Measurements and Statistical Analysis: Primary outcome was the ability of clinicopathologic and imaging criteria to identify patients who may be eligible for sPGA based on detailed tumor map from whole-mount sRP slides., Results and Limitations: Of 216 men who underwent sRP following whole gland radiotherapy, tumor maps, MRI, and biopsy data were available for 77. Of these, 15 (19%) were determined to be eligible for sPGA based on biopsy-proven unilateral disease in contiguous sextant segments, a dominant lesion on MRI concordant with biopsy location or no focal region of interest, and no imaging evidence of extraprostatic disease. Review of tumor maps identified 6 additional men who would have met criteria for sPGA, resulting in sensitivity of 71% (95% C.I. 48%-89%) and specificity of 100% (lower bound of 95% C.I. 94%). None of the 15 men who met the criteria for sPGA on clinical data were identified incorrectly on tumor maps to require full gland surgery (upper bound of 95% C.I. 22%). Median tumor volume of the index lesion was 0.4 cc and recurrent cancer was noted in the apex, mid-gland, and base in 81%, 100%, and 29% of men., Conclusions: In men with recurrent prostate cancer after radiotherapy, biopsy findings and MRI can be used to select index lesions potentially amenable for sPGA and can guide patient evaluation for inclusion in clinical trials of sPGA following radiation failure. Larger, prospective studies are required to evaluate both the role of MRI and clinical criteria in guiding focal salvage therapy and the effectiveness of this modality for radiorecurrent prostate cancer., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Sildenafil citrate has been shown to be protective of sexual function when given concurrently and following prostate radiation therapy (RT), but some evidence suggests an increased biochemical recurrence (BCR) risk in patients taking sildenafil after radical prostatectomy., Aim: To evaluate whether sildenafil use is associated with increased risk of BCR in patients receiving prostate RT, we performed a secondary analysis of a randomized placebo-controlled trial (RPCT) that compared sildenafil citrate to placebo during and after prostate RT., Methods: The study population consisted of prostate cancer patients who initiated radiation treatment at our institution and participated in our multi-institutional RPCT that compared 6 months of sildenafil 50 mg once a day to placebo with a 24-month follow-up. Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) was allowed. Prostate cancer prognostic risk grouping was not an exclusion criterion, but most study participants had low- or intermediate-risk prostate cancer. Statistical analysis was performed using Kaplan-Meier plots and log-rank testing., Outcomes: The primary outcomes of this report were biochemical recurrence and overall survival rates, where BCR was defined according to the Phoenix definition., Results: Data of 162 men were analyzed. Nine men had inadequate PSA follow-up and the remaining 153 men were included in the final report. Median age was 61 years. At a median follow-up of 8.3 years (range: 3.0-12.2), 5/94 (5.3%) and 2/59 (3.4%) patients developed BCR in the sildenafil and placebo groups, respectively. The 6-year BCR-free survival was 98.8% for all patients, 98.1% for the sildenafil cohort, and 100% for the placebo cohort. The 10-year BCR-free survival was 94.4% for all patients, 95.6% for the sildenafil cohort, and 92.9% for the placebo cohort. There was no difference in BCR-free survival between the sildenafil and placebo groups by log-rank comparison (p = 0.36)., Clinical Implications: This analysis informs clinical decision making about the safety of using sildenafil during and after prostate RT., Strengths and Limitations: This study included patients who were treated in the setting of a prospective, randomized placebo-controlled trial, and who attained high medication compliance. However, the study was limited by the post-hoc nature of the analysis, use of ADT in some patients, inadequate study power to detect a difference in BCR between sildenafil and placebo groups., Conclusion: Prophylactic sildenafil citrate was not associated with biochemical recurrence risk in prostate cancer patients treated with radiation. However, the study was inadequately powered to definitively conclude a negative finding., Competing Interests: Conflict of Interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest., (© 2021, International Society for Sexual Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: This prospective phase 3 randomized trial was designed to test whether ultra high single-dose radiation therapy (24 Gy SDRT) improves local control of oligometastatic lesions compared to a standard hypofractionated stereotactic body radiation therapy regimen (3 × 9 Gy SBRT). The secondary endpoint was to assess the associated toxicity and the impact of ablation on clinical patterns of metastatic progression., Methods and Materials: Between November 2010 and September 2015, 117 patients with 154 oligometastatic lesions (≤5/patient) were randomized in a 1:1 ratio to receive 24 Gy SDRT or 3 × 9 Gy SBRT. Local control within the irradiated field and the state of metastatic spread were assessed by periodic whole-body positron emission tomography/computed tomography and/or magnetic resonance imaging. Median follow-up was 52 months., Results: A total of 59 patients with 77 lesions were randomized to 24 Gy SDRT and 58 patients with 77 lesions to 3 × 9 Gy SBRT. The cumulative incidence of local recurrence for SDRT-treated lesions was 2.7% (95% confidence interval [CI], 0%-6.5%) and 5.8% (95% CI, 0.2%-11.5%) at years 2 and 3, respectively, compared with 9.1% (95% CI, 2.6%-15.6%) and 22% (95% CI, 11.9%-32.1%) for SBRT-treated lesions (P = .0048). The 2- and 3-year cumulative incidences of distant metastatic progression in the SDRT patients were 5.3% (95% CI, 0%-11.1%), compared with 10.7% (95% CI, 2.5%-18.8%) and 22.5% (95% CI, 11.1%-33.9%), respectively, for the SBRT patients (P = .010). No differences in toxicity were observed., Conclusions: The study confirms SDRT as a superior ablative treatment, indicating that effective ablation of oligometastatic lesions is associated with significant mitigation of distant metastatic progression., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: To investigate predictors associated with post-treatment biopsy outcomes after stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) for localized prostate cancer., Materials and Methods: 257 patients treated with prostate SBRT to dose levels of 32.5 Gy to >40 Gy in 5-6 fractions underwent a post-treatment biopsy performed approximately two years after treatment to evaluate local control status. 73 had% intermediate-risk disease (n = 187) and the remaining 17% (n = 43) and 10% (n = 27) had low-risk and high-risk disease, respectively., Results: The incidence of positive, negative, and treatment-effect post-treatment biopsies were 15.6%, 57.6%, and 26.8%, respectively. The incidence of a positive biopsy according to dose was 37.5% (n = 9/24), 21.4% (n = 6/28), 19.4% (n = 6/31), and 10.9% (n = 19/174) for 32.5 Gy, 35 Gy, 37.5 Gy, and >40 Gy, respectively. In a multivariable model, patients treated with SBRT doses of <40 Gy and those with unfavorable-intermediate-risk or high-risk disease had higher likelihood of a positive post-treatment biopsy. A positive post-SBRT biopsy was associated with a significantly higher likelihood of subsequent PSA relapse at five years (Positive biopsy: 57%, 95% CI: 29-77% compared to negative biopsy: 7%, 95% CI: 3-14%; p < 0.001)., Conclusion: Based on two-year post-SBRT biopsies, excellent tumor control was achieved when dose levels of 40 Gy or higher were used. Standard SBRT dose levels of 35-37.5 Gy were associated with a higher likelihood of a positive post-treatment biopsy. Two-year positive post-treatment biopsies pre-dated the development of PSA failure in the majority of patients., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: We investigated whether T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging findings could improve upon established prognostic indicators of metastatic disease and prostate cancer specific survival., Materials and Methods: For a cohort of 3,406 consecutive men who underwent prostate magnetic resonance imaging before prostatectomy (2,160) or radiotherapy (1,246) between 2001 and 2006, T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging exams were retrospectively interpreted and categorized as I) no focal suspicious lesion, II) organ confined focal lesion, III) focal lesion with extraprostatic extension or IV) focal lesion with seminal vesicle invasion. Clinical risk was recorded based on European Association of Urology (EAU) guidelines and the Cancer of the Prostate Risk Assessment (CAPRA) scoring system. Survival probabilities and c-indices were estimated using Cox models and inverse probability censoring weights, respectively., Results: The median followup was 10.8 years (IQR 8.6-13.0). Higher magnetic resonance imaging categories were associated with a higher likelihood of developing metastases (HR 3.5-18.1, p <0.001 for all magnetic resonance imaging categories) and prostate cancer death (HR 3.1-29.7, p <0.001-0.025); these associations were statistically independent of EAU risk categories, CAPRA scores and treatment type (surgery vs radiation). Combining EAU risk or CAPRA scores with magnetic resonance imaging categories significantly improved prognostication of metastases (c-indices: EAU: 0.798, EAU + magnetic resonance imaging: 0.872; CAPRA: 0.808, CAPRA + magnetic resonance imaging: 0.877) and prostate cancer death (c-indices: EAU 0.813, EAU + magnetic resonance imaging: 0.889; CAPRA: 0.814, CAPRA + magnetic resonance imaging: 0.892; p <0.001 for all)., Conclusion: Magnetic resonance imaging findings of localized prostate cancer are associated with clinically relevant long-term oncologic outcomes. Combining magnetic resonance imaging and clinicopathological data results in more accurate prognostication, which could facilitate individualized patient management.

Background: Radiation therapy is one of the most commonly used cancer therapeutics but genetic determinants of clinical benefit are poorly characterized. Pathogenic germline variants in ATM are known to cause ataxia-telangiectasia, a rare hereditary syndrome notable for marked radiosensitivity. In contrast, somatic inactivation of ATM is a common event in a wide variety of cancers, but its clinical actionability remains obscure., Methods: We analyzed 20 107 consecutively treated advanced cancer patients who underwent targeted genomic sequencing as part of an institutional genomic profiling initiative and identified 1085 harboring a somatic or germline ATM mutation, including 357 who received radiotherapy (RT). Outcomes of irradiated tumors harboring ATM loss-of-function (LoF) mutations were compared with those harboring variants of unknown significance. All statistical tests were 2-sided., Results: Among 357 pan-cancer patients who received 727 courses of RT, genetic inactivation of ATM was associated with improved radiotherapeutic efficacy. The 2-year cumulative incidence of irradiated tumor progression was 13.2% vs 27.5% for tumors harboring an ATM LoF vs variant of unknown significance allele, respectively (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.51, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.34 to 0.77, P = .001). The greatest clinical benefit was seen in tumors harboring biallelic ATM inactivation (HR = 0.19, 95% CI = 0.06 to 0.60, P = .005), with statistically significant benefit also observed in tumors with monoallelic ATM inactivation (HR = 0.57, 95% CI = 0.35 to 0.92, P = .02). Notably, ATM LoF was highly predictive of outcome in TP53 wild-type tumors but not among TP53-mutant tumors., Conclusions: We demonstrate that somatic ATM inactivation is associated with markedly improved tumor control following RT. The identification of a radio-sensitive tumor phenotype across multiple cancer types offers potential clinical opportunities for genomically guided RT., (© The Author(s) 2020. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Among 84,447 radiotherapy (RT) courses for Medicare beneficiaries age ≥ 65 with prostate cancer treated with external beam RT (EBRT), brachytherapy, or both, 42,608 (51%) were delivered in hospital-affiliated and 41,695 (49%) in freestanding facilities. Freestanding centers were less likely to use EBRT + brachytherapy than EBRT (OR 0.84 [95%CI 0.84-0.84]; p  < .001). Treatment was more costly in freestanding centers (mean difference $2,597 [95%CI $2,475-2,719]; p  < .001). Adjusting for modality and fractionation, RT in hospital-affiliated centers was more costly (mean difference $773 [95%CI $693-853]; p  < .001). Freestanding centers utilized more expensive RT delivery, but factors unrelated to RT modality or fractionation rendered RT more costly at hospital-affiliated centers.

Importance: In 2016, the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) established criteria to evaluate prediction models for staging. No localized prostate cancer models were endorsed by the Precision Medicine Core committee, and 8th edition staging was based on expert consensus., Objective: To develop and validate a pretreatment clinical prognostic stage group system for nonmetastatic prostate cancer., Design, Setting, and Participants: This multinational cohort study included 7 centers from the United States, Canada, and Europe, the Shared Equal Access Regional Cancer Hospital (SEARCH) Veterans Affairs Medical Centers collaborative (5 centers), and the Cancer of the Prostate Strategic Urologic Research Endeavor (CaPSURE) registry (43 centers) (the STAR-CAP cohort). Patients with cT1-4N0-1M0 prostate adenocarcinoma treated from January 1, 1992, to December 31, 2013 (follow-up completed December 31, 2017). The STAR-CAP cohort was randomly divided into training and validation data sets; statisticians were blinded to the validation data until the model was locked. A Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) cohort was used as a second validation set. Analysis was performed from January 1, 2018, to November 30, 2019., Exposures: Curative intent radical prostatectomy (RP) or radiotherapy with or without androgen deprivation therapy., Main Outcomes and Measures: Prostate cancer-specific mortality (PCSM). Based on a competing-risk regression model, a points-based Score staging system was developed. Model discrimination (C index), calibration, and overall performance were assessed in the validation cohorts., Results: Of 19 684 patients included in the analysis (median age, 64.0 [interquartile range (IQR), 59.0-70.0] years), 12 421 were treated with RP and 7263 with radiotherapy. Median follow-up was 71.8 (IQR, 34.3-124.3) months; 4078 (20.7%) were followed up for at least 10 years. Age, T category, N category, Gleason grade, pretreatment serum prostate-specific antigen level, and the percentage of positive core biopsy results among biopsies performed were included as variables. In the validation set, predicted 10-year PCSM for the 9 Score groups ranged from 0.3% to 40.0%. The 10-year C index (0.796; 95% CI, 0.760-0.828) exceeded that of the AJCC 8th edition (0.757; 95% CI, 0.719-0.792), which was improved across age, race, and treatment modality and within the SEER validation cohort. The Score system performed similarly to individualized random survival forest and interaction models and outperformed National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) and Cancer of the Prostate Risk Assessment (CAPRA) risk grouping 3- and 4-tier classification systems (10-year C index for NCCN 3-tier, 0.729; for NCCN 4-tier, 0.746; for Score, 0.794) as well as CAPRA (10-year C index for CAPRA, 0.760; for Score, 0.782)., Conclusions and Relevance: Using a large, diverse international cohort treated with standard curative treatment options, a proposed AJCC-compliant clinical prognostic stage group system for prostate cancer has been developed. This system may allow consistency of reporting and interpretation of results and clinical trial design.

Background: Studies using stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) dose escalation in in low- and intermediate-risk prostate cancer patients have indicated favorable outcomes., Objective: To evaluate tolerance and tumor control outcomes in low- and intermediate-risk prostate cancer patients treated with high-dose SBRT following our phase 1 trial., Design, Setting, and Participants: A total of 551 patients with low- or intermediate-risk prostate cancer were treated with SBRT., Intervention: Treatment with 37.5-40Gy SBRT in five fractions directed to the prostate and seminal vesicles., Outcome Measurements and Statistical Analysis: Outcome measurements included acute toxicities (<3 mo after radiotherapy [RT]) and late toxicities (>3 mo after RT) and tumor control evaluation (prostate-specific antigen [PSA] levels at 3-6-mo intervals and post-treatment prostate biopsy at 2yr)., Results and Limitations: Acute grade 2 gastrointestinal (GI) toxicities occurred in 1.8% of patients, and late grade 2 and 3 GI toxicities were observed in 3.4% and 0.4% of patients, respectively. Acute grade 2 genitourinary (GU) toxicities occurred in 10% of patients, and grade 3 acute GU toxicities were observed in 0.7% of patients. Late grade 2 and 3 GU toxicities were observed in 21.1% and 2.5% of patients, respectively. The use of a hydrogel rectal spacer was significantly associated with reduced late GI toxicity and lower odds of developing late GU toxicity. The median follow-up was 17 mo, and 53% of those with at least 2yr of follow-up (103/193) had a biopsy performed. The 5-yr cumulative incidence of PSA failure was 2.1%, and the incidence of a positive 2-yr treatment biopsy was 12%. Limitations to this report include its retrospective nature and short follow-up time., Conclusions: Favorable short-term outcomes were achieved with high-dose SBRT for low- and intermediate-risk disease. Severe late toxicities were observed and favorable tumor control was found., Patient Summary: We utilized stereotactic body radiotherapy, a form of external beam radiotherapy that delivers highly targeted high-dose treatment to the prostate, to treat over 500 localized prostate cancer patients in five sessions over 1.5 wk. Treatments were well tolerated without significant urinary or rectal side effects. Nearly 90% of those who underwent biopsies after treatment did not demonstrate residual active disease., (Copyright © 2019 European Association of Urology. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: To report early toxicity and tumor control outcomes of Pd-103 brachytherapy with ultrahypofractionated stereotactic radiation therapy (RT) for intermediate-risk prostate cancer., Methods and Materials: This prospective trial included 40 patients with intermediate-risk prostate cancer who underwent low-dose-rate (Pd-103) brachytherapy (prescription dose, 100 Gy), followed 1 month later with ultrahypofractionated stereotactic RT (25 Gy in 5 fractions) to the prostate and seminal vesicles. The primary endpoint was the rate of grade 2+ genitourinary toxicity at 12 months using Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events v 4.0. Secondary endpoints included patient-reported quality-of-life metrics (International Prostate Scoring System [IPSS], International Index of Erectile Function, and Expanded Prostate Cancer Index Composite-bowel). Biochemical failure was defined as prostate-specific antigen nadir +2 ng/mL. Posttreatment biopsies were performed at between 24 and 36 months; median follow-up was 36 months., Results: The rate of grade 2 urinary toxicity at 12 months was 25% with no grade 3 urinary toxicity noted. Mean IPSS at baseline and 12 and 24 months was 5, 10, and 6.2, respectively. Mean change in IPSS from baseline at 12 months was +5.5 (interquartile range, 1-9.75) and +1.05 (interquartile range, -3 to 3.25) at 24 months. Grade 2 bowel toxicity was 5% at 12 months with no grade 3 bowel toxicity noted. Mean Expanded Prostate Cancer Index Composite-bowel domain scores at baseline and 12 months were 92.8 and 90.3, respectively. Of patients who were potent (International Index of Erectile Function ≥21) at baseline, 75% remained potent at 12 months. Of 40 patients, 28 underwent posttreatment prostate biopsy (PPB), which was negative (n = 20) or demonstrated severe treatment effect (n = 8). No patient had a positive PPB or developed biochemical failure during the follow-up period. One patient without a PPB developed osseous metastases at 18 months posttreatment in the absence of biochemical failure., Conclusion: Low-dose-rate brachytherapy in combination with ultrahypofractionated stereotactic RT was safe and effective for intermediate-risk prostate cancer in early results of this trial., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: To evaluate inter-fractional variations in bladder and rectum during prostate stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) and determine dosimetric and clinical consequences., Methods: Eighty-five patients with 510 computed tomography (CT) images were analyzed. Median prescription dose was 40 Gy in 5 fractions. Patients were instructed to maintain a full bladder and empty rectum prior to simulation and each treatment. A single reviewer delineated organs at risk (OARs) on the simulation (Sim-CT) and Cone Beam CTs (CBCT) for analyses., Results: Bladder and rectum volume reductions were observed throughout the course of SBRT, with largest mean reductions of 86.9 mL (19.0%) for bladder and 6.4 mL (8.7%) for rectum noted at fraction #5 compared to Sim-CT (P < 0.01). Higher initial Sim-CT bladder volumes were predictive for greater reduction in absolute bladder volume during treatment (ρ = - 0.69; P < 0.01). Over the course of SBRT, there was a small but significant increase in bladder mean dose (+ 4.5 ± 12.8%; P < 0.01) but no significant change in the D2cc (+ 0.8 ± 4.0%; P = 0.28). The mean bladder trigone displacement was in the anterior direction (+ 4.02 ± 6.59 mm) with a corresponding decrease in mean trigone dose (- 3.6 ± 9.6%; P < 0.01) and D2cc (- 6.2 ± 15.6%; P < 0.01). There was a small but significant increase in mean rectal dose (+ 7.0 ± 12.9%, P < 0.01) but a decrease in rectal D2cc (- 2.2 ± 10.1%; P = 0.04). No significant correlations were found between relative bladder volume changes, bladder trigone displacements, or rectum volume changes with rates of genitourinary or rectal toxicities., Conclusions: Despite smaller than expected bladder and rectal volumes at the time of treatment compared to the planning scans, dosimetric impact was minimal and not predictive of detrimental clinical outcomes. These results cast doubt on the need for excessively strict bladder filling and rectal emptying protocols in the context of image guided prostate SBRT and prospective studies are needed to determine its necessity.

Purpose: There are limited data regarding high-dose stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) for prostate cancer in patients with poor baseline urinary function. The purpose of this study was to evaluate genitourinary (GU) toxicity and changes in patient-reported symptom severity scores after prostate SBRT in men with a high pretreatment International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS)., Methods and Materials: Seven hundred fifty-three patients treated with prostate SBRT at our institution from 2012 to 2019 were identified, of whom 72 consecutive patients with baseline IPSS ≥15 were selected for this study. GU toxicity according to Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) v3.0 and IPSS were prospectively documented at each follow-up visit. Univariable logistic regression was used to evaluate for potential predictors of GU toxicity., Results: Median follow-up in survivors was 26.8 months. The rates of acute grade 2 and 3 GU toxicity were 20.8% and 1.4%, respectively. The rates of late grade 2 and 3 GU toxicity were 37.5% and 5.6%, respectively. The majority of grade 2+ toxicities resolved by last follow-up, and when toxicities were regraded per CTCAE v5.0, there were no longer any grade 3 adverse events. Total IPSS and individual symptom subscores improved over time. Compared with baseline, median total IPSS at 24 ± 6 months was significantly lower (18 vs 12; P < .001) and the proportion of patients with severe scores (IPSS ≥20) decreased from 29.2% to 13.9%. Pretreatment urinary urgency was associated with late grade 2+ GU toxicity (odds ratio, 2.10; 95% confidence interval, 1.33-3.31; P = .001)., Conclusions: In men with baseline IPSS ≥15 managed with prostate SBRT, the rate of severe GU toxicity was low and patient-reported symptoms generally improved over time. Thus, high pretreatment IPSS should not deter clinicians from offering prostate SBRT., (© 2020 The Author(s).)

Background and Purpose: Magnetic Resonance (MR)-only planning has been implemented clinically for radiotherapy of prostate cancer. However, fewer studies exist regarding the overall success rate of MR-only workflows. We report on successes and challenges of implementing MR-only workflows for prostate., Materials and Methods: A total of 585 patients with prostate cancer underwent an MR-only simulation and planning between 06/2016-06/2018. MR simulation included images for contouring, synthetic-CT generation and fiducial identification. Workflow interruptions occurred that required a backup CT, a re-simulation or an update to our current quality assurance (QA) process. The challenges were prospectively evaluated and classified into syn-CT generation, motion/artifacts in the MRs, fiducial QA and bowel preparation guidelines., Results: MR-only simulation was successful in 544 (93.2 %) patients. . In seventeen patients (2.9%), reconstruction of synthetic-CT failed due to patient size, femur angulation, or failure to determine the body contour. Twenty-four patients (4.1%) underwent a repeat/backup CT scan because of artifacts on the MR such as image blur due to patient motion or biopsy/surgical artifacts that hampered identification of the implanted fiducial markers. In patients requiring large coverage due to nodal involvement, inhomogeneity artifacts were resolved by using a two-stack acquisition and adaptive inhomogeneity correction. Bowel preparation guidelines were modified to address frequent rectum/gas issues due to longer MR scan time., Conclusions: MR-only simulation has been successfully implemented for a majority of patients in the clinic. However, MR-CT or CT-only pathway may still be needed for patients where MR-only solution fails or patients with MR contraindications.

Purpose: The Systemic Therapy in Advancing or Metastatic Prostate Cancer: Evaluation of Drug Efficacy (STAMPEDE) trial reported overall survival benefits for prostate-directed radiation therapy (PDRT) in low-burden metastatic prostate cancer. Oligometastasis-directed radiation therapy (ORT) improves androgen deprivation therapy (ADT)-free and progression-free survivals. Comprehensive PDRT + ORT to all detectable metastases may offer benefit for de novo oligometastatic prostate cancer (DNOPC) and is under prospective study; given few available benchmarks, we reviewed our institutional experience., Methods and Materials: Forty-seven patients with DNOPC with predominantly M1b disease received neoadjuvant, concurrent, and adjuvant ADT plus PDRT + ORT to 1 to 6 oligometastases. Gross pelvic (N1) nodes were not considered oligometastases unless focally targeted without broader nodal coverage. Outcomes were analyzed from radiation therapy (RT) start using Kaplan-Meier, competing risks, and Cox regression. Median follow-up was 27 (95% confidence interval, 16-42) months., Results: At 1- and 2-years post-RT, cumulative incidence of distant metastatic progression (DMP) was 21% and 32%, whereas overall survival was 90% and 87%, respectively. Neuroendocrine/intraductal histology, prostate-specific antigen (PSA) < 20, and detectable PSA after PDRT + ORT were associated with increased DMP risk; number and location of oligometastases were not. Local failure was rare, with 3 prostate recurrences and progression of 10 treated oligometastases during follow-up. After neoadjuvant ADT, 9 (19%) patients had undetectable PSA (<0.05 ng/mL), which increased to 32 (68%) after PDRT + ORT. Overall 2-year incidence of biochemical recurrence (BCR) and development of castrate resistance were 23% and 36%, respectively. Undetectable PSA post-RT was associated with lower risk of BCR (hazard ratio, 0.19; P = .004) and DMP (hazard ratio, 0.26; P = .025). Overall, 23 (49%) patients were trialed off ADT; 16 (70%) had testosterone recovery (>150 ng/dL) and, of these, 5 had subsequent PSA rise and restarted ADT 2 to 21 months postrecovery. The remaining 11 were maintained off ADT without BCR. Median noncastrate duration was 8 months; 7 patients had normalized testosterone for >1 year., Conclusions: A comprehensive, radiotherapeutic-based treatment strategy has favorable clinical outcomes and can produce prolonged noncastrate remissions in a subset with DNOPC., (© 2020 The Authors.)

Our purpose was to evaluate the performance of 11 C-choline PET/CT in detecting biochemically recurrent prostate cancer (PCa) in a large non-European cohort (in the context of emerging evidence for prostate-specific membrane antigen PET in this setting) and to map patterns of PCa recurrence. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 11 C-choline PET/CT scans from 287 patients who were enrolled in an imaging protocol based on rising prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels (mean, 3.43 ng/mL; median, 0.94 ng/mL; range, 0.15-89.91 ng/mL) and suspected recurrent PCa. A total of 187 patients had undergone primary radical prostatectomy (RP) (79/187 had secondary radiotherapy), 30 had undergone primary radiotherapy, and 70 had a persistent PSA elevation after receiving initial treatment (69 after RP, 1 after radiotherapy). The level of suspicion for recurrence on 11 C-choline PET/CT was scored (0, negative; 1, equivocal; 2, positive) by 2 readers. The correlation between 11 C-choline PET/CT positivity and initial treatment, Gleason score, National Comprehensive Cancer Network stage, PSA level, PSA doubling time, PSA velocity, and time between initial treatment and PET imaging was evaluated. Prostate Cancer Molecular Imaging Standardized Evaluation (PROMISE) criteria were used to map 11 C-choline recurrence patterns. Results: Considering scores 1 and 2 as positives, consensus between the 2 readers deemed 66% of the 11 C-choline PET/CT scans as positive. When sorted by PSA level, 45% of patients with a PSA of less than 0.5 ng/mL, 56% of patients with a PSA of 0.5-0.99 ng/mL, 70% of patients with a PSA of 1.0-1.99 ng/mL, and 90% of patients with a PSA of at least 2.0 ng/mL scored either 1 or 2 on 11 C-choline PET/CT scans. When considering scores of 2 only, 11 C-choline PET/CT positivity was 54% (28%, 46%, 62%, and 81%, respectively, for patients with PSA < 0.5 ng/mL, 0.5-0.99 ng/mL, 1.0-1.99 ng/mL, and ≥ 2.0 ng/mL). In multivariate analysis, only PSA level was significantly associated with scan positivity. Pattern analysis showed that pelvic lymph nodes were the most common site of recurrence, and 28% of patients had 11 C-choline-positive suspected recurrences outside the initial treatment field. Conclusion: 11 C-choline PET/CT can detect PCa recurrence even among patients with low PSA levels when interpretation accounts for the clinical context, providing a certain pretest probability. Until prostate-specific membrane antigen agents are fully approved for PCa, choline PET/CT may provide clinical utility., (© 2020 by the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging.)

OBJECTIVE. Despite a substantial increase in the use of MRI for pretreatment evaluation of prostate cancer, its prognostic value in patients undergoing radiation therapy (RT) is not well known. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to systematically review the literature and perform a meta-analysis on the prognostic value of pretreatment MRI in patients with prostate cancer who underwent external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) or brachytherapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS. PubMed and Embase databases were searched for studies published on or before March 13, 2019. We included studies that evaluated pretreatment MRI as a prognostic factor in prostate cancer regarding biochemical recurrence (BCR), metastatic failure, and overall or cancer-specific mortality. Effect sizes were measured in terms of the hazard ratio (HR) and were meta-analytically pooled using the random-effects model. The quality of the studies was independently evaluated using the Quality in Prognostic Studies tool. RESULTS. Twelve studies (2205 patients) were included. All studies assessed BCR; metastasis was evaluated in three studies, and mortality was evaluated in one study. Extraprostatic extension (EPE), seminal vesicle invasion (SVI), large tumor size or volume, number of sextants involved, and tumor involvement of prostatic apex were significant prognostic factors of BCR (pooled HRs = 1.50-4.47). EPE, larger tumor size, greater tumor volume, presence of metastatic pelvic lymph nodes (LNs), and presence of SVI were significant risk factors for metastasis (pooled HRs = 1.12-11.96). Pelvic LN metastasis was significantly predictive of cancer-specific mortality (HR = 4.45 [95% CI, 1.30-15.23]). CONCLUSION. Several pretreatment MRI findings were significant prognostic factors in patients with prostate cancer who underwent RT.

Background: Radiotherapy of the prostate and the pelvic lymph nodes (LN) is a part of the standard of care treatment for high-risk prostate cancer. The independent translational and rotational (i.e., six-degrees-of-freedom, [6DoF]) motion of the prostate and LN target during and between fractions can perturb the dose distribution. However, no standard dose reconstruction method accounting for differential 6DoF target motion is available., Purpose: We present a framework for monitoring motion-induced dose perturbations for two independently moving target volumes in 6DoF. The framework was used to determine the dose perturbation for the prostate and the LN target caused by differential 6DoF motion for a cohort of high-risk prostate cancer patients. As a potential first step toward real-time dose-guided high-risk prostate radiotherapy, we furthermore investigated if the dose reconstruction was fast enough for real-time application for both targets., Methods: Twenty high-risk prostate cancer patients were treated with 3-arc volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT). Kilovoltage intrafraction monitoring (KIM) with triggered kilovoltage (kV) images acquired every 3 throughout 7-10 fractions per patient was used for retrospective 6DoF intrafraction prostate motion estimation. The 6DoF interfraction LN motion was determined from a pelvic bone match between the planning CT and a post-treatment cone beam CT (CBCT). Using the retrospectively extracted motion, real-time 6DoF motion-including dose reconstruction was simulated using the in-house developed software DoseTracker. A data stream with the 6DoF target positions and linac parameters was broadcasted at a 3-Hz frequency to DoseTracker. In a continuous loop, DoseTracker calculated the target dose increments including the specified motion and, for comparison, without motion. The motion-induced change in D 99.5% for the prostate CTV (ΔD 99.5% ) and in D 98% for the LN CTV (ΔD 98% ) was calculated using the final cumulative dose of each fraction and averaged over all imaged fractions. The real-time reconstructed dose distribution of DoseTracker was benchmarked against a clinical treatment planning system (TPS) and it was investigated whether the calculation speed was fast enough to keep up with the incoming data stream., Results: Translational motion was largest in cranio-caudal (CC) direction (prostate: [-5.9, +8.4] mm; LN: [-9.9; +11.0] mm) and anterior-posterior (AP) direction (prostate:[-5.6; +6.9] mm; LN: [-9.6; +11.0] mm). The pitch was the largest rotation (prostate: [-22.5; +25.2] deg; LN: [-3.9; +5.5] deg). The prostate CTV ΔD 99.5% was [-16.2; +2.5]% for single fractions and [-3.0; +1.7]% when averaged over all imaged fractions. The LN CTV ΔD 98% was [-19.8; +1.2]% for single fractions and [-3.1; +0.9]% after averaging. Mean (Standard deviation) absolute dose errors in DoseTracker of 107.8% (Std: 1.9%) for the prostate and 105.5% (Std:1.4%) for the LN were corrected during dose reconstruction by automatically calculated normalization factors. It resulted in accurate calculation of the motion-induced dose errors with relative differences between DoseTracker and TPS dose calculations of -0.1% (Std: 0.5%) (prostate CTV ΔD 99.5% ) and -0.2% (Std: 0.5%) (LN CTV ΔD 98% ). The DoseTracker calculation was fast enough to keep up with the incoming inputs for all but two out of 107 184 dose calculations., Conclusion: Using the developed framework for dose perturbation monitoring, we found that the differential 6DoF target motion caused substantial dose perturbation for individual fractions, which largely averaged out after several fractions. The framework was shown to provide reliable dose calculations and a sufficiently high-dose reconstruction speed to be applicable in real-time., (© 2024 The Author(s). Medical Physics published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American Association of Physicists in Medicine.)

Robotic-assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy and intensity-modulated radiation therapy are the most common radical treatments for localized prostate cancer, and brachytherapy (BT) also plays a role in this field. Iodine-125 (I-125) low-dose rate (LDR) prostate BT is an established treatment. However, it remains controversial. Specifically, there are a variety of issues, such as indications for combined treatment with external beam radiotherapy and androgen deprivation therapy, prostate-specific antigen follow-up, the significance of postimplant biopsy, the usefulness of salvage BT and focal therapy, reduction of toxicities, and bladder cancer after BT. In this review, we summarize the recent developments in I-125 LDR BT., (© 2024 The Japanese Urological Association.)

Background and Purpose: To identify early biochemical predictors of survival in intermediate- and high-risk prostate cancer patients with a pre-treatment PSA <20 ng/mL following definitive radiation therapy (RT) and androgen deprivation therapy (ADT)., Materials and Methods: A single-institution review of 2566 intermediate and high-risk prostate cancer patients treated with definitive RT and neoadjuvant and concurrent ADT from 1990 to 2012 was performed. The first prostate-specific antigen (PSA) value within three months of ADT initiation (post-ADT PSA) and the first PSA within three months after RT completion (post-RT PSA) were recorded. 1275 had baseline PSA <20 ng/mL and either post-ADT or post-RT PSA available. Median follow-up was 7.6 years. The relationship between post-treatment PSA kinetics and biochemical relapse (BR), distant metastasis (DM), prostate cancer specific death (PCSD) and overall survival (OS) was modeled using Cox regression univariate and multivariate analysis (MVA)., Results: MVA demonstrated a strong association between a post-RT PSA ≥0.09 ng/mL and a significantly higher risk of BR (HR: 1.93; 95% CI: 1.45-2.57; p < 0.001), DM (HR: 2.97; 95% CI: 2.01-4.39; p < 0.001), PCSD (HR: 2.99; 95% CI: 1.73-5.15; p < 0.001) and OS (HR: 1.49; 95% CI: 1.18-1.86; p < 0.001). Post-RT PSA reduction of ≥95% relative to the baseline PSA was associated with a significantly lower risk of BR (MVA HR: 0.58; 95% CI: 0.41-0.83; p = 0.003) and DM (MVA HR: 0.47; 95% CI: 0.30-0.76; p = 0.002)., Conclusion: A PSA value ≥0.09 ng/mL early after RT completion is associated with significantly worse prognosis across all clinical outcomes, and an early PSA reduction of ≥95% is associated with reduced risk of BR and DM. These findings may identify patients who require early aggressive systemic management for high-risk disease., (Copyright © 2019. Published by Elsevier B.V.)