[Five-year results of IMRT for prostate cancer - toxicity]. / Petileté výsledky IMRT karcinomu prostaty - toxicita.

BACKGROUND: Intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) plays a crucial role in the treatment of prostate cancer thanks to its capacity for healthy tissue sparing. This work reports on the acute and late toxicity rates among 233 patients treated with high-dose IMRT. MATERIAL AND METHODS: From June 2003 to December 2007, 233 men with clinically localized prostate cancer underwent radical radiotherapy. One hundred sixty patients were treated with IMRT to the prostate and the base of seminal vesicles to 78 Gy in 39 fractions, 73 patients underwent simultaneous integrated boost. Prescribed doses were 82 Gy and 73,8 Gy in 41 fractions to the prostate and seminal vesicles, respectively. Late toxicity was evaluated prospectively using a RTOG/FC-LENT score. RESULTS: Thirty patients (12.8%) experienced acute Grade 2 gastrointestinal (GI) toxicity. No acute Grade 3 or 4 GI toxicity developed. Forty two patients (18.1%) experienced acute Grade 2 genitourinary toxicity and 23 patients (9.9%) had Grade 3 GU toxicity. Grade 4 Genitourinary toxicity was observed in nine (3.8%) patients, due to a need of short-term urinary catheterization. With a median follow-up of 49.2 months, the estimated 5-year cumulative incidence of Grade 2 gastrointestinal toxicity was 22.4%. The estimated 5-year cumulative incidence of Grade 2 genitourinary toxicity was 17.7%. CONCLUSION: Intensity modulated radiotherapy enables dose escalation to 78-82 Gy with an acceptable toxicity.

[Five-year results of IMRT for prostate cancer - tumor control]. / Petileté výsledky IMRT karcinomu prostaty - kontrola nádoru.

BACKGROUND: Intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) is the method of choice in external-beam radiotherapy tolocalized prostate cancer. This work analyses five year results of IMRT with a dose of 78/82 Gy. PATIENTS AND METHODS: From June 2003 to December 2007, the IMRT technique was employed to treat 233 patients with T1-3 N0 M0 prostate cancer. It was supplemented by hormone therapy especially in high-risk patients. Two IMRT techniques were applied - IMRT with a dose of 78 Gy in 39 fractions to prostate and seminal vesicles (SV) (IMRT 78) and IMRT with simultaneous integrated 82 Gy boost to prostate concurrently with 73,8 Gy in 41 fractions to SV (IMRT SIB 82). The IMRT 78 technique was used in 160 patients (69%). Seventy-three (31%) patients with intermediate (IR) or high-risk (HR) prostate cancer without SV involvement were treated with IMRT SIB 82 technique. The PSA relapse was defined as an increase in PSA of at least 2.0 ng/mL above the nadir or in comparison to the value at the initiation of hormone therapy. Clinical relapse was defined as an occurence of distant metastases and/or local recurrence. RESULTS: The median follow-up of our patients´ population was 4.3 years (range 0.6-8.9 years). The estimated 5-year PSA relapse-free survival in low-risk (LR), IR and HR patients was 86%, 89% and 83%, respectively (p = NS). In a multivariate analysis, Gleason score (GS) 8-10 was associated with significantly higher risk of PSA relapse (RR 2.76), while higher age at the time of diagnosis significantly decreased the PSA relapse risk (RR 0.94). The estimated 5-year clinical relapse-free survival in LR, IR and HR patients was 100%, 99% and 95%, respectively (p = NS). In a univariate analysis, both GS and PSA had a significant impact on the 5-year clinical relapse-free survival - GS 2-7 97 % vs GS 8-10 88 % (p = 0.03), PSA 20 98 % vs PSA > 20 85 % (p < 0.01). CONCLUSION: Treatment of localized prostate cancer using IMRT with a dose 78/82 Gy yielded an excellent 5-year tumour control with a risk of clinical relapse being less than 5%.

Neoadjuvant hormonal therapy in prostate cancer - impact of PSA level before radiotherapy.

PURPOSE: To retrospectively investigate the impact of prostate specific antigen (PSA) level after neoadjuvant androgen- deprivation therapy (ADT) on biochemical relapse-free survival in patients with prostate cancer who received radical radiotherapy (RT). METHODS: Between March 2003 and March 2008, 128 men with localized prostate cancer underwent neoadjuvant ADT for 4-6 months followed by radical RT. Biochemical relapse-free survival was compared between patients with pre-RT PSA ≤ 0.1 vs > 0.1 ng/mL. RESULTS: At a median follow up of 47.3 months, biochemical relapse-free survival was significantly higher in patients with a pre-RT PSA ≤ 0.1 ng/mL compared with pre-RT PSA > 0.1 ng/mL (85.6 vs 63.2%, p = 0.0025). CONCLUSION: The current analysis demonstrating better treatment outcome in patients with excellent biochemical response to neoadjuvant ADT, supports an individualized treatment strategy.

[Changes in target volumes definition by using MRI for prostate bed radiotherapy planning--preliminary results]. / Zmeny cílových objemu pri pouzití magnetické rezonance pro plánování radioterapie luzka prostaty--predbezné výsledky.

BACKGROUNDS: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is used quite routinely in radiotherapy treatment planning in the primary radiotherapy of prostate cancer as it provides more contrast imaging of soft tissues in the small pelvis than planning CT, thanks to which it allows more exact delineation of target volumes and thus the saving of organs at risk We tried to verify whether it is possible to use MRI by analogy in the planning of prostate bed radiotherapy. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Twentyone patients indicated for prostate bed radiotherapy were considered in this study. Here we present the preliminary results of 10 of them. Four patients were indicated for adjuvant, 6 for salvage radiotherapy. All the patients underwent, besides standard planning CT, MRI in the same position. Target volumes and organs at risk were delineated into CT,T1 and T2 MRI images - clinical target volume (CTV), planning target volume (PTV), urinary bladder and rectum. Based on the merging of images, the volumes delineated in MRI were copied into planning CT, where the evaluation was done. We evaluated the volumes of each structure, agreement in contouring with the help of the rate of union and intersection of the volumes and with Cohen's kappa, and 3D differences between volumes of CTV on CT, T1 and T2 MRI. RESULTS: Statistically, volumes of CTV and PTV are not significantly different. The volume of the rectum is significantly smaller on T1 and also T2 MRI images. The index of agreement (union/intersection) is statistically significantly different from 1 for CTV and PTV as well. Cohen's kappa indicates moderate agreement for CTV CT and T1, T1 and T2 MRI, fair agreement for CTV CT and T2 MRI, and substantial agreement for PTV. In the superior and superolateral direction, the CTV volume on MRI in the central plane is smaller on T1 and T2 images. In the area of seminal vesicles (SV) the cranial border is similar on CT and MRI. In the superoposterior direction, the volume of CTV is smaller on CT than on T1 and T2 MRI, which means, that seminal vesicles are delineated larger in the posterior direction on MRI (about 0.24cm on T1; by about 0.20cm on T2 images). In the posterior direction, there are no differences in CTV on CT and T1 while on T2 the CTV is larger (a difference of 0.29 cm). In the posterolateral direction, CTV is smaller on T1 MRI than on CT on both sides, on the right as well as on the left. CONCLUSION: Preliminary results suggest that clinical target volume defined with the help of MRI is shifted compared with CTV defined on planning CT. The agreement of CTV delineation by one radiation oncologist is moderate to fair and is similar to interobserver variability in the contouring of the prostate bed in the planning CT. MRI provides more contrast imaging of the anterior rectal wall, where we have confirmed the most differences in contouring. Moreover, it provides better imaging of local recurrences and seminal vesicles, where the most differences in our group of patients were seen in comparison with planning CT.

[Prostate bed radiotherapy--when and what?]. / Radioterapie luzka prostaty--kdy a co lécit?

BACKGROUNDS: Recently, prostate bed irradiation has, due to the results of randomized trials which confirmed its benefit in adjuvant treatment, become the standard treatment for patients with risk factors after radical prostatectomy. It is also irreplaceable in the treatment of biochemical progression caused by local recurrence. In most cases, the tumour is not visible on planning CT, so it is necessary to use all available information to define the target volume to treat all the sites where the recurrence could be present. DESIGN: The aim of this review is to provide a compendium of radiotherapy after radical prostatectomy, its indications and especially the localization of recurrences, which implicates the clinical target volume definitions. CONCLUSION: The treatment of prostate cancer requires close co-operation between urologists and radiation oncologists, especially now when the indication of radiotherapy includes patients with risk factors after radical prostatectomy where adjuvant treatment should be performed early after surgery. It is of the utmost importance to precisely define the target volume for radiotherapy to fully prevent local recurrence without unnecessary complications for the patient.

Time course of late rectal toxicity after radiation therapy for prostate cancer.

Rectum and bladder are the crucial organs at risk for curative radiation therapy of localized prostate cancer. We analyzed the incidence, profile and time course of late rectal radiation toxicity. A total of 320 patients with T1-3 prostate cancer were treated with three-dimensional conformal radiation therapy (3D-CRT). The prescription dose was 70 Gy for T1 and T2 patients (n=230) and 74 Gy for patients with locally advanced T3 tumors (n=90). Late rectal toxicity was graded according to the Fox Chase modification of the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) and Late Effects Normal Tissue Task Force (LENT) criteria. The median follow-up time was 6.2 years (range 0.2-10.7 years). At 5 years, the risk for the development of grade 2 and 3 rectal toxicities was 15.6 and 7.0%, respectively. All new cases of grade 2 and 3 rectal toxicities were observed within 5 years after treatment. Prevalence of grade 2 and 3 rectal symptoms showed fluctuation with maximum at 1.5 years and the minor peak at 4.5 years. Toxicity profile changed significantly over time. The proportion of rectal bleeding within grade 2 and 3 toxicity decreased from 85% at 1.5 years to 46% at 4.5 years. Conversely, the proportion of fecal incontinence among grade 2 and 3 rectal symptoms gradually increased (0% at 1.5 years vs 27% at 4.5 years). Late rectal radiation toxicity represents a dynamic process. Rectal bleeding decreases and fecal incontinence increases over time.

[Chronic gastrointestinal toxicity after external-beam radiation therapy for prostate cancer]. / Chronická gastrointestinální toxicita po zevní radioterapii karcinomu prostaty.

BACKGROUNDS: Chronic gastrointestinal (GI) toxicity is an important dose-limiting factor of prostate cancer treatment. Its incidence varies with the dose of radiotherapy and the external beam treatment technique; however, there are also other factors that should be considered. Despite all the efforts to diminish the incidence, chronic toxicity still remains an adverse event which can affect the quality of life in patients after prostate cancer radiotherapy. DESIGN: The aim of this review is to provide a detailed description of chronic GI toxicity after external beam radiation therapy for prostate cancer, its causes, development, symptoms and incidence in different treatment techniques, and to compare the development of GI toxicity from the beginning of curative prostate cancer radiotherapy to now. CONCLUSION: Thanks to up-to-date radiotherapy techniques, the incidence of chronic GI toxicity is relatively low despite high doses of about 80 Gy used in prostate cancer treatment. Further reduction of radiation complications could be achieved by using image-guided radiotherapy (IGRT), which enables more precise delivery of the radiation dose to the prostate, reduction of the margin around the clinical target volume (CTV) and the sparing of organs at risk.

[Extended field radiotherapy and high-dose brachytherapy combined with chemotherapy in patients with locally advanced cervical carcinoma]. / Radioterapie velkými poli a brachyterapie s vysokým m dávkovým príkonem s konkomitantní chemoterapií u pacientek s lokálne pokrocilým cervikálním karcinomem.

OBJECTIVE: Evaluation of results of extended field radiotherapy and high-dose rate brachytherapy combined with chemotherapy in patients with locally advanced cervical carcinoma. TYPE OF THE STUDY: A retrospective study. SETTING: Department of Oncology and Radiotherapy, University Hospital Hradec Králové. METHODS: Forty five patients with stage IIB - IVA cervical cancer and radiologically suspicious pelvic and/or paraaortic lymph nodes were treated at the Dept. of Oncology and Radiotherapy Hradec Králové with pelvic and paraaortic radiotherapy, high-dose rate brachytherapy and concomitant chemotherapy with cisplatin or cisplatin and paclitaxel. RESULTS: The 3-years disease free survival estimate was 64%. Hematological toxicity was the most limiting factor of concomitant chemotherapy. Late toxicity grade III and IV was observed in 7 patients. One patient underwent surgery due to ileus caused by lymphoma. CONCLUSIONS: Concomitant chemoradiotherapy with paraaortic fields results in high tumor control but also significant acute and late toxicity. New techniques of radiotherapy, such as intensity modulated radiotherapy, may improve the therapeutic ratio.