Prostate-specific antigen relapse-free survival and side-effects in 734 patients with up to 10 years of follow-up with localized prostate cancer treated by permanent iodine implants.

STUDY TYPE

Therapy (case series) Level of Evidence 4.

OBJECTIVE

To report our analysis of the oncological outcome, side-effects and complications after (125)I-brachytherapy, based on 10 years of experience, as low dose-rate (LDR) prostate brachytherapy is an accepted, effective and safe therapy for localized prostate cancer.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Between April 1999 and December 2006, 734 consecutive patients were treated with clinically localized prostate cancer with a follow-up of >or=30 months. No patients received external beam radiotherapy and 43% received hormonal therapy before brachytherapy; this therapy was given for 3-4 months. All patients had LDR prostate brachytherapy administered by one radiation oncologist. Biochemical failure was defined according to the 'Phoenix consensus'.

RESULTS

The median follow-up for the 734 patients was 55 months; 26 had a clinical relapse and 11 died from prostate cancer; 20 patients died from other illnesses. The 10-year actuarial biochemical control was 92%, 84% and 65%, respectively (P < 0.001) for the low-, intermediate- and high-risk groups. Multivariate Cox regression analyses identified Gleason score and prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level as independent prognostic factors for biochemical failure. The actuarial biochemical control with Gleason score was 88%, 76% and 67% for patients with a Gleason score of <or=6, 7 and >7, respectively (P < 0.001). The biochemical control was 90%, 80% and 42% for patients with a PSA level of <or=10, 10.1-20 and >20 ng/mL, respectively (P < 0.001). No patients reported incontinence after treatment. There was acute urinary retention in 22 (2.9%) patients. Logistic regression showed that the most significant factors correlating with the probability of catheterization were the pretreatment prostate volume and hormonal therapy.

CONCLUSIONS

The excellent long-term results and low morbidity, and the many advantages of prostate brachytherapy over other treatments, show that brachytherapy is an effective treatment for clinically organ-confined prostate cancer.