Bottke Dirk, Wiegel Thomas, Höcht Stefan, Müller Markus, Schostak Martin, Hinkelbein Wolfgang
Clinic for Radiotherapy and Radiation Oncology, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Berlin, Germany.
Oncology. 2003;65 Suppl 1:18-23. doi: 10.1159/000072487.
Salvage radiotherapy in patients with persisting prostate-specific antigen (PSA) after radical prostatectomy for prostate cancer offers an approach to reduce local recurrence rates and to improve the rate of biochemical freedom from relapse. 30-70% of these patients experience a decrease in their PSA to an undetectable range; in about 40-50% of these patients, PSA remains stable after 5 years. Therefore, radiation therapy offers these patients an ultimate chance of cure. The pre-irradiation PSA value is of particular importance. The PSA level should not exceed 2 ng/ml because otherwise the rate of distant metastases increases significantly. Serious side effects are apparently low, thus confirming the suitability of this therapeutic approach.
