Brachytherapy and radical prostatectomy in patients with early prostate cancer

Outcomes and Toxicities After Treatment for Men Diagnosed With Localized Prostate Cancer in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Purpose

Current management for clinically localized prostate cancer in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) includes surgery, external beam radiation therapy (EBRT), and brachytherapy either alone or in combination, with plus or minus hormone therapy. The toxicity profiles and oncological outcomes of these treatment modalities vary. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to determine the prevalence of treatment-related outcomes and toxicities for men diagnosed with localized prostate cancer in LMICs.

Methods and Materials

The review was conducted based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Cochrane Library, Embase, and Medline were searched for eligible articles. Meta-analysis was performed with Review Manager version 5.4.1 using a random effects model at a 95% confidence interval.

Results

A total of 2,820 patients were analyzed from 24 articles that met the inclusion criteria. Following 3-dimensional conformal radiation therapy (3D-CRT), the most common clinician-reported toxicities were acute skin grade 1, acute genitourinary grade 1, acute gastrointestinal grade 1, and late gastrointestinal grade 1, with 46%, 29%, 24%, and 18%, respectively. Acute and late genitourinary grade 3 and gastrointestinal grade 3 toxicities were below 3% with no grade 4 toxicities reported after 3D-CRT. In the brachytherapy group, the prevalence of acute genitourinary grade 1 toxicity was 19%. Perioperative rectal injury was the least prevalent (2%) after retropubic radical prostatectomy. Following 3D-CRT, the 5-year overall survival rate was 87%, and for the combined brachytherapy and EBRT group, it increased to 96%. The prevalence of 5-year biochemical failure following EBRT and brachytherapy was 18% and 30%, respectively. The 4- and 3-year biochemical failure after radical prostatectomy and combined EBRT with brachytherapy were 22% and 2%, respectively.

Conclusions

This systematic review and meta-analysis indicate that in LMICs, EBRT, brachytherapy, and radical prostatectomy, either alone or in combination has an excellent potential for localized prostate cancer control with low toxicities and good oncological outcomes. Results of treatment-related toxicities and outcomes can support policymakers, patients, and clinicians on informed decision-making to strengthen prostate cancer care in the region. However, efforts are required to improve early detection, treatment accessibility, regular post-treatment follow-up care, consistent quality assurance practices, and staff continues development to help minimize treatment toxicities and improve outcomes of localized prostate cancer in LMICs.

125I seeds irradiation inhibits tumor growth and induces apoptosis by Ki-67, P21, survivin, livin and caspase-9 expression in lung carcinoma xenografts

BACKGROUND

Lung cancer is a fatal disease and a serious health problem worldwide. Patients are usually diagnosed at an advanced stage, and the effectiveness of chemotherapy for such patients is very limited. Iodine 125 seed (¹²⁵I) irradiation can be used as an important adjuvant treatment for lung carcinoma. The purpose of this study was to examine the role of irradiation by 125I seeds in human lung cancer xenograft model and to determine the underlying mechanisms involved, with a focus on apoptosis.

METHODS

40 mice with A549 lung adenocarcinoma xenografts were randomly divided into 4 groups: control group (n = 10), sham seed (0 mCi) implant group (n = 10), 125I seed (0.6 mCi) implant group (n = 10) and 125I seed (0.8 mCi) implant group (n = 10), respectively. The body weight and tumor volume, were recorded every 4 days until the end of the study. Apoptotic cells were checked by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) assay and activities of caspase-3 and caspase-8 enzyme were tested. Expression of P21, survivin, livin, caspase-9 and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (Ki-67) was detected with immunohistochemical staining.

RESULTS

The results of TUNEL staining assays showed that 125I seed irradiation suppresses the growth of lung cancer xenografts in nude mice and induced apoptosis. The activity of caspase-3 and caspase-8 was significantly higher. The expression levels Ki67, survivin and livin were substantially downregulated, while P21 and caspase-9 protein expression were significantly increased following 125I seed irradiation. This study revealed that 125I seed irradiation could significantly change apoptosis-related protein in human lung cancer xenografts.

CONCLUSIONS

Overall, our study demonstrates that radiation exposure by 125I seeds could be a new treatment option for lung cancer.

125I low-dose-rate prostate brachytherapy and radical prostatectomy in patients with prostate cancer

Radical prostatectomy (RP) and low-dose-rate prostate brachytherapy (LDR) are two widely used treatment options for patients with T1c-T3a prostate cancer. In the present study, the efficacy of the two treatments was compared. A total of 429 patients who underwent either LDR (n=218) or RP (n=211) between January 2010 and June 2015 were retrospectively reviewed. Biochemical relapse-free survival time (bRFS) and clinical relapse-free survival time (cRFS) were assessed. The log-rank test compared bRFS between the two modalities, and Cox regression identified factors associated with bRFS. The median follow-up time and patient age were 46.6 months and 71 years, respectively. The bRFS at 1, 2 and 5 years was 89.4, 87.2 and 79.9% for LDR, respectively, and 91.0, 82.8 and 72.2% for RP, respectively (P=0.077). The cRFS at 1, 2 and 5 years was 99.1, 97.7 and 94.9% for LDR, respectively, and 99.0, 96.2 and 94.5% for RP, respectively (P=0.630). It was indicated that LDR produced equivalent bRFS and cRFS rates compared with RP. The risk of biochemical failure (bF) was higher for the RP group compared with the LDR group in patients with a Gleason score ≤3+4 (P=0.022) or initial prostate specific antigen ≤10 ng/ml (P=0.002). Based on the univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis of all 429 patients, T stage ≥T2b was an independent predictor for bF.

TBL1Y: a new gene involved in syndromic hearing loss

Hereditary hearing loss (HHL) is an extremely heterogeneous disorder with autosomal dominant, recessive, and X-linked forms. Here, we described an Italian pedigree affected by HHL but also prostate hyperplasia and increased ratio of the free/total PSA levels, with the unusual and extremely rare Y-linked pattern of inheritance. Using exome sequencing we found a missense variant (r.206A>T leading to p.Asp69Val) in the TBL1Y gene. TBL1Y is homologous of TBL1X, whose partial deletion has described to be involved in X-linked hearing loss. Here, we demonstrate that it has a restricted expression in adult human cochlea and prostate and the variant identified induces a lower protein stability caused by misfolded mutated protein that impairs its cellular function. These findings indicate that TBL1Y could be considered a novel candidate for HHL.