Safer and More Convenient Modern Curative Radiotherapy for Patients With Early Prostate Cancer.

Background/aim: New fractionation schedules with modern tools are a very rapidly developing area in curative radiotherapy (RT) for early prostate cancer (PC). To apply these techniques in everyday clinical practice, we planned this phase II trial with different fractionation schedules and followed up patients using careful health-related quality of life (QoL) questionnaires for three years.

Patients And Methods: Seventy-three PC patients with one or two intermediate PC risk factors according to the National Comprehensive Cancer Network criteria were recruited.

Radium-223 dichloride treatment in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer in Finland: A real-world evidence multicenter study.

Background: Radium-233 dichloride is an alpha emitter that specifically targets bone metastases in prostate cancer. Results of a previously reported phase III randomized trial showed survival benefit for radium-223 compared to best supportive care in castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) with bone metastases. However, real-world data are also needed with wider inclusion criteria.

Health-related Quality of Life of Patients Treated With Different Fractionation Schedules for Early Prostate Cancer Compared to the Age-standardized General Male Population.

Background: The effects of radiotherapy (RT) patients' health-related quality of life (HRQoL) are usually compared to those of other treatment modalities instead of HRQoL of the general population in oncological studies. We examined HRQoL of patients with an early prostate cancer (PC) not receiving hormonal treatment up to 3 years after RT using the 15D instrument and the FACT-P questionnaire.

Methods: The 15D results were compared to those in the age-standardized general male population (N = 952) using an independent-sample t test.

Acute Side-effects of Different Radiotherapy Treatment Schedules in Early Prostate Cancer.

Background: Optimal radiation therapy (RT) fractionation in early prostate cancer in elderly patients is controversial. We compared acute toxicities of fractionation schedules: 78/2 Gy, 60/3 Gy and 36.25/7.

Radiation-induced prostate swelling during SBRT of the prostate.

Background: Reduced planning target volume (PTV) margins are commonly used in stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) of the prostate. In addition, MR-only treatment planning is becoming more common in prostate radiotherapy and compared to CT-MRI-based contouring results in notable smaller clinical target volume (CTV). Tight PTV margins coupled with MR-only planning raise a concern whether the margins are adequate enough to cover possible volumetric changes of the prostate.

Both comorbidity and worse performance status are associated with poorer overall survival after external beam radiotherapy for prostate cancer.

Background: In this retrospective study, we evaluated the biochemical recurrence rate, metastatic disease progression, and prostate cancer-specific and overall survival in patients curatively treated with external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) for early prostate cancer (PC). We also examined the prognostic effect of comorbidity by Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) and overall performance status by Eastern Clinical Oncology Group (ECOG) score.

Methods: A total of 665 men treated between 2008 and 2013 were enrolled from Tampere University Hospital, Finland.

Dynamic Contrast-Enhanced Imaging as a Prognostic Tool in Early Diagnosis of Prostate Cancer: Correlation with PSA and Clinical Stage.

Background And Purpose: Although several methods have been developed to predict the outcome of patients with prostate cancer, early diagnosis of individual patient remains challenging. The aim of the present study was to correlate tumor perfusion parameters derived from dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI) and clinical prognostic factors and further to explore the diagnostic value of DCE-MRI parameters in early stage prostate cancer.

Patients And Methods: Sixty-two newly diagnosed patients with histologically proven prostate adenocarcinoma were enrolled in our prospective study.

Diffusion-weighted MRI Provides a Useful Biomarker for Evaluation of Radiotherapy Efficacy in Patients with Prostate Cancer.

Background: Diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) with measurement of apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) allows for assessment of tumor aggressiveness. The objective of this study was to evaluate the changes of ADC value in prostate cancer after volumetric-modulated arc radiotherapy (VMAT) and to identify magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) biomarkers for monitoring tissue changes after radiotherapy.

Patients And Methods: Thirty-seven patients with biopsy-proven prostate cancer treated with VMAT underwent serial MRI examinations including DWI before radiotherapy, and at 3 and 12 months after radiotherapy.