1 3
World J Urol
DOI 10.1007/s00345-016-1860-0
ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Stereotactic body radiotherapy in oligometastatic prostate cancer
patients with isolated lymph nodes involvement: a two-institution
experience
Gianluca Ingrosso
1
· Fabio Trippa
2
· Ernesto Maranzano
2
· Alessandra Carosi
1
·
Elisabetta Ponti
1
· Fabio Arcidiacono
2
· Lorena Draghini
2
· Luana Di Murro
1
·
Andrea Lancia
1
· Riccardo Santoni
1
Received: 22 October 2015 / Accepted: 18 May 2016
© Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2016
Keywords Prostate cancer · Oligometastasis · Stereotactic
body radiotherapy · Local control · Androgen deprivation
therapy-free survival
Introduction
Oligometastatic disease is considered an intermediate state
between localized and widespread cancer, with a unique
biological profile [1]. There is an increasing evidence that
patients with a limited number of metastases have a bet-
ter prognosis compared to those with extensive metastatic
disease [2, 3]. Therefore, in oligometastatic cancer patients,
a local treatment such as stereotactic body radiotherapy
(SBRT) might be effective in delaying disease progression
[4, 5]. Being prostate cancer a slowly growing tumor with
a high life expectancy, patients with oligometastases from
prostate cancer can represent an ideal target for SBRT.
Moreover, SBRT may defer androgen deprivation therapy
(ADT), which is the current standard of care but can have a
detrimental effect on patient quality of life [6].
This retrospective study aimed to analyze overall sur-
vival (OS), local control (LC), biochemical progression-
free survival (b-PFS), and toxicity in 40 patients affected
by isolated prostate cancer lymph node metastases. Andro-
gen deprivation therapy-free survival (ADT-FS) was also
evaluated in the subset of patients who underwent SBRT
without ADT.
Materials and methods
From September 2008 to December 2014, 40 patients with
47 isolated lymph nodes of recurrent prostate cancer were
treated with SBRT in two Italian Centers (“Tor Vergata”
Abstract
Objective Stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) is
emerging as a treatment option in oligometastatic cancer
patients. This retrospective study aimed to analyze local
control, biochemical progression-free survival (b-PFS),
and toxicity in patients affected by isolated prostate can-
cer lymph node metastases. Finally, we evaluated androgen
deprivation therapy-free survival (ADT-FS).
Methods Forty patients with 47 isolated lymph nodes of recur-
rent prostate cancer were treated with SBRT. Mostly, two differ-
ent fractionation schemes were used: 5 × 7 Gy in 23 (48.9 %)
lesions and 5 × 8 Gy in 13 (27.7 %) lesions. Response to treat-
ment was assessed with periodical PSA evaluation. Toxicity
was registered according to RTOG/EORTC criteria.
Results With a mean follow-up of 30.18 months, local con-
trol was achieved in 98 % of the cases, with a median b-PFS
of 24 months. We obtained a 2-year b-PFS of 44 % with
40 % of the patients ADT-free at last follow-up (mean value
26.18 months; range 3.96–59.46), whereas 12.5 % had a mean
ADT-FS of 13.58 months (range 2.06–37.13). Late toxicity
was observed in one (2.5 %) patient who manifested a grade
3 gastrointestinal toxicity 11.76 months after the end of SBRT.
Conclusion Our study demonstrates that SBRT is safe,
effective, and minimally invasive in the eradication of lim-
ited nodal metastases, yielding an important delay in pre-
scribing ADT.
* Gianluca Ingrosso
ingrosso.gianluca@gmail.com
1
Department of Diagnostic Imaging, Molecular Imaging,
Interventional Radiology and Radiotherapy, Tor Vergata
General Hospital, viale Oxford 81, 00133 Rome, Italy
2
Department of Oncology, Radiation Oncology Center, “S.
Maria” Hospital, Terni, Italy