THE "NEW" PROSTATE CANCER INFOLINK

Today’s news reports address:

• A new nomogram for predicting outcomes after brachytherapy
• Results of a Phase III trial of combined androgen blockade in Japan

Potters et al. have developed and validated a post-implant nomogram predicting biochemical freedom from recurrence 9 years after permanent prostate brachytherapy (PPB). The nomogram is based on clinical information from 5,931 patients who underwent PPB for clinically localized prostate cancer at six centers. The 9-year probability of biochemical freedom from recurrence for the modeling set was 77 percent.

Azaka et al. have reported that data from a double-blind, randomized, multicenter Japanese Phase III trial in 205 patients with stage C/D prostate cancer showing that combined androgen blockade (CAB) with a  luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH) agonist +  bicalutamide 80 mg had a small, marginally significant overall survival benefit compared to an  LHRH agonist + a placebo (i.e., LHRH agonist monotherapy) at a median follow-up of 5.2 years. However, the difference in cause-specific survival between the two groups of patients was not significant. The achievement of a nadir PSA level of ≤ 1 ng/ml was a prognostic factor for improved survival, and more patients attained PSA nadir concentrations of  ≤ 1 ng/ml with CAB than with LHRH agonist monotherapy (81.4 vs. 33.7 percent).

Filed under: Management, Treatment Tagged: | androgen deprivation, brachytherapy, combined, nomogram