BACKGROUND

New non-invasive methods are needed for sub-stratifying high-risk prostate cancer patients. Magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging (MRSI) maps metabolites in prostate cancer, providing information on tumor aggressiveness and volume.

PURPOSE

To investigate the correlation between MRSI and treatment failure (TF) after radical prostatectomy (RP).

METHODS

Two-hundred sixty-two patients who underwent endorectal MRI/MRSI followed by RP at our institution from 2003 to 2007 were studied. MRI stage, number of voxels in the MRSI index lesion (NILV), number of high-grade voxels (NHGV), and number of voxels containing undetectable polyamines (NUPV) were derived. Clinical outcome was followed until August, 2014. Treatment failure was defined as 1) biochemical recurrence (BCR), 2) persistently detectable PSA after RP, or 3) adjuvant therapy initiated in the absence of BCR. MRI/MRSI features and clinical parameters were compared to TF by univariate Cox Proportional Hazards Regression. After backward selection, each MRSI parameter was included in a separate regression model adjusted for NCCN-based clinical risk score (CRS), number of biopsy cores positive (NPC), and MRI stage.

RESULTS

In univariate analysis, all clinical variables were associated with TF in addition to MRI stage, NILV, NHGV, and NUPV. In multivariate analysis, NILV, NHGV, and NUPV were also significant risk factors for TF (p=0.016, p=0.002, p=0.006, respectively). The association between the number of tumor voxels with undetectable polyamines and the probability of treatment failure has not been previously reported. The number of MRSI cancer voxels correlated with extracapsular extension (ECE) (p<0.0001).

CONCLUSIONS

MRSI was associated with post-radical prostatectomy treatment failure in models adjusted for the number of positive biopsy cores and clinical risk score. This is the first report that in radical prostatectomy patients MRSI has an association with treatment failure independent of the number of positive biopsy cores. MRSI may help the clinician determine whether patients with high risk disease who undergo RP are candidates for specialized additional treatment.