Jason W.D. Hearn

HSD3B1 and resistance to androgen-deprivation therapy in prostate cancer: a retrospective, multicohort study.

BACKGROUND HSD3B1 (1245A>C) has been mechanistically linked to castration-resistant prostate cancer because it encodes an altered enzyme that augments dihydrotestosterone synthesis from non-gonadal precursors. We postulated that men inheriting the HSD3B1 (1245C) allele would exhibit resistance to androgen-deprivation therapy (ADT). METHODS In this multicohort study, we determined HSD3B1 genotype retrospectively in men treated with ADT for post-prostatectomy biochemical failure and correlated genotype with long-term clinical outcomes. We used data and samples from prospectively maintained prostate cancer registries at the Cleveland Clinic (Cleveland, OH, USA; primary study cohort) and the Mayo Clinic (Rochester, MN, USA; post-prostatectomy and metastatic validation cohorts). In the post-prostatectomy cohorts, patients of any age were eligible if they underwent prostatectomy between Jan 1, 1996, and Dec 31, 2009 (at the Cleveland Clinic; primary cohort), or between Jan 1, 1987, and Dec 31, 2011 (at the Mayo Clinic; post-prostatectomy cohort) and were treated with ADT for biochemical failure or for non-metastatic clinical failure. In the metastatic validation cohort, patients of any age were eligible if they were enrolled at Mayo Clinic between Sept 1, 2009, and July 31, 2013, with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer. The primary endpoint was progression-free survival according to HSD3B1 genotype. We did prespecified multivariable analyses to assess the independent predictive value of HSD3B1 genotype on outcomes. FINDINGS We included and genotyped 443 patients: 118 in the primary cohort (who underwent prostatectomy), 137 in the post-prostatectomy validation cohort, and 188 in the metastatic validation cohort. In the primary study cohort, median progression-free survival diminished as a function of the number of variant alleles inherited: 6·6 years (95% CI 3·8-not reached) in men with homozygous wild-type genotype, 4·1 years (3·0-5·5) in men with heterozygous variant genotype, and 2·5 years (0·7 to not reached) in men with homozygous variant genotype (p=0·011). Relative to the homozygous wild-type genotype, inheritance of two copies of the variant allele was predictive of decreased progression-free survival (hazard ratio [HR] 2·4 [95% CI 1·1-5·3], p=0·029), as was inheritance of one copy of the variant allele (HR 1·7 [1·0-2·9], p=0·041). Findings were similar for distant metastasis-free survival and overall survival. The effect of the HSD3B1 genotype was independently confirmed in the validation cohorts. INTERPRETATION Inheritance of the HSD3B1 (1245C) allele that enhances dihydrotestosterone synthesis is associated with prostate cancer resistance to ADT. HSD3B1 could therefore potentially be a powerful genetic biomarker capable of distinguishing men who are a priori likely to fare favourably with ADT from those who harbour disease liable to behave more aggressively, and who therefore might warrant early escalated therapy. FUNDING Prostate Cancer Foundation, National Institutes of Health, US Department of Defense, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, American Cancer Society, Conquer Cancer Foundation of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, Cleveland Clinic Research Programs Committee and Department of Radiation Oncology, Gail and Joseph Gassner Development Funds.

Cardiac Events After Radiation Therapy: Combined Analysis of Prospective Multicenter Trials for Locally Advanced Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer.

Purpose Radiation therapy is a critical component in the care of patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), yet cardiac injury after treatment is a significant concern. Therefore, we wished to elucidate the incidence of cardiac events and their relationship to radiation dose to the heart. Patients and Materials Study eligibility criteria included patients with stage II to III NSCLC treated on one of four prospective radiation therapy trials at two centers from 2004 to 2013. All cardiac events were reviewed and graded per Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (v4.03). The primary end point was the development of a grade ≥ 3 cardiac event. Results In all, 125 patients met eligibility criteria; median follow-up was 51 months for surviving patients. Median prescription dose was 70 Gy, 84% received concurrent chemotherapy, and 27% had pre-existing cardiac disease. Nineteen patients had a grade ≥ 3 cardiac event at a median of 11 months (interquartile range, 6 to 24 months), and 24-month cumulative incidence was 11% (95% CI, 5% to 16%). On multivariable analysis (MVA), pre-existing cardiac disease (hazard ratio [HR], 2.96; 95% CI, 1.07 to 8.21; P = .04) and mean heart dose (HR, 1.07/Gy; 95% CI, 1.02 to 1.13/Gy; P = .01) were significantly associated with grade ≥ 3 cardiac events. Analyzed as time-dependent variables on MVA analysis, both disease progression (HR, 2.15; 95% CI, 1.54 to 3.00) and grade ≥ 3 cardiac events (HR, 1.76; 95% CI, 1.04 to 2.99) were associated with decreased overall survival. However, disease progression (n = 71) was more common than grade ≥ 3 cardiac events (n = 19). Conclusion The 24-month cumulative incidence of grade ≥ 3 cardiac events exceeded 10% among patients with locally advanced NSCLC treated with definitive radiation. Pre-existing cardiac disease and higher mean heart dose were significantly associated with higher cardiac event rates. Caution should be used with cardiac dose to minimize risk of radiation-associated injury. However, cardiac risks should be balanced against tumor control, given the unfavorable prognosis associated with disease progression.

Independent validation of the prognostic capacity of the ISUP prostate cancer grade grouping system for radiation treated patients with long-term follow-up

Background:There has been a recent proposal to change the grading system of prostate cancer into a five-tier grade grouping system. The prognostic impact of this has been demonstrated in regards only to biochemical recurrence-free survival (bRFS) with short follow-up (3 years).Methods:Between 1990 and 2013, 847 consecutive men were treated with definitive external beam radiation therapy at a single academic center. To validate the new grade grouping system, bRFS, distant metastases-free survival (DMFS) and prostate cancer-specific survival (PCSS) were calculated. Adjusted Kaplan–Meier and multivariable Cox regression analyses were performed to assess the independent impact of the new grade grouping system. Discriminatory analyses were performed to compare the commonly used three-tier Gleason score system (6, 7 and 8–10) to the new system.Results:The median follow-up of our cohort was 88 months. The 5-grade groups independently validated differing risks of bRFS (group 1 as reference; adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) 1.35, 2.16, 1.79 and 3.84 for groups 2–5, respectively). Furthermore, a clear stratification was demonstrated for DMFS (aHR 2.03, 3.18, 3.62 and 13.77 for groups 2–5, respectively) and PCSS (aHR 3.00, 5.32, 6.02 and 39.02 for groups 2–5, respectively). The 5-grade group system had improved prognostic discrimination for all end points compared with the commonly used three-tiered system (that is, Gleason score 6, 7 and 8–10).Conclusions:In a large independent radiotherapy cohort with long-term follow-up, we have validated the bRFS benefit of the proposed five-tier grade grouping system. Furthermore, we have demonstrated that the system is highly prognostic for DMFS and PCSS. Grade group 5 had markedly worse outcomes for all end points, and future work is necessary to improve outcomes in these patients.

Association of HSD3B1 Genotype With Response to Androgen-Deprivation Therapy for Biochemical Recurrence After Radiotherapy for Localized Prostate Cancer.

Importance The variant HSD3B1 (1245C) allele enhances dihydrotestosterone synthesis and predicts resistance to androgen-deprivation therapy (ADT) for biochemically recurrent prostate cancer after prostatectomy and for metastatic disease. Whether this is true after radiotherapy is unknown. Objective To determine whether the HSD3B1 (1245C) allele predicts worse clinical outcomes from ADT for biochemical recurrence after radiotherapy. Design, Setting, and Participants The Prostate Clinical Research Information System at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute was used to identify the study cohort, which included men treated with ADT for biochemical recurrence after primary radiotherapy between 1996 and 2013. We retrospectively determined HSD3B1 genotype. Main Outcomes and Measures Time to progression, time to metastasis, and overall survival according to genotype. Demographic and treatment characteristics were evaluated for confounders. Multivariable analyses were performed to adjust for known prognostic factors. Results A total of 218 eligible men were identified, of whom 213 (98%) were successfully genotyped. Of these, 97 of 213 (46%), 96 of 213 (45%) and 20 of 213 (9%) carried 0, 1, and 2 variant alleles. Overall variant allele frequency was 136 of 426 alleles (32%). Median patient age (interquartile range) was 69 (63-74), 72 (65-78), and 69 (65-77) years for 0, 1, and 2 variant alleles (P = .03). Demographic and treatment factors were otherwise similar. During a median follow-up of 7.9 years, median time to progression was 2.3 years (95% CI, 1.6-3.1 years) with 0 variant alleles, 2.3 years (95% CI, 1.5-3.3 years) with 1 variant allele, and 1.4 years (95% CI, 0.7-3.3 years) with 2 variant alleles (P = .68). Median time to metastasis diminished with the number of variant alleles inherited: 7.4 (95% CI, 6.7-9.7), 5.8 (95% CI, 4.9-6.5), and 4.4 (95% CI, 3.0-5.7) years, with inheritance of 0, 1, and 2 variant alleles, respectively (P = .03). Median OS was 7.7 (95% CI, 6.7-10.3), 6.9 (95% CI, 5.8-8.4), and 7.2 (95% CI, 3.8-7.9) years with inheritance of 0, 1, and 2 variant alleles, respectively (P = .31). On multivariable analysis with 0 variant alleles as the reference, the adjusted hazard ratio for metastasis was 1.19 (95% CI, 0.74-1.92) (P = .48) for 1 variant allele and 2.01 (95% CI, 1.02-3.97) (P = .045) for 2 variant alleles. Multivariable analysis did not demonstrate significant differences in TTP or OS. Conclusions and Relevance In this study, the HSD3B1 (1245C) allele was associated with more rapid development of metastases in men treated with ADT for biochemical recurrence after primary radiation therapy for prostate cancer. Notably, 105 of 213 men (49%) had received prior ADT, and 119 of 213 (56%) received an androgen receptor antagonist during salvage treatment, both of which may attenuate the effect of the variant allele.

Comparison Between Adjuvant and Early-Salvage Postprostatectomy Radiotherapy for Prostate Cancer With Adverse Pathological Features

Importance Prostate cancer with adverse pathological features (ie, pT3 and/or positive margins) after prostatectomy may be managed with adjuvant radiotherapy (ART) or surveillance followed by early-salvage radiotherapy (ESRT) for biochemical recurrence. The optimal timing of postoperative radiotherapy is unclear. Objective To compare the clinical outcomes of postoperative ART and ESRT administered to patients with prostate cancer with adverse pathological features. Design, Setting, and Participants This multi-institutional, propensity score–matched cohort study involved 1566 consecutive patients who underwent postprostatectomy ART or ESRT at 10 US academic medical centers between January 1, 1987, and December 31, 2013. Propensity score 1-to-1 matching was used to account for covariates potentially associated with treatment selection. Data were collected from January 1 to September 30, 2016. Data analysis was conducted from October 1, 2016, to October 21, 2017. Main Outcomes and Measures Freedom from postirradiation biochemical failure, freedom from distant metastases, and overall survival. All outcomes were measured from date of surgery to address lead-time bias. Results Of 1566 patients, 1195 with prostate-specific antigen levels of 0.1 to 0.5 ng/mL received ESRT and 371 patients with prostate-specific antigen levels lower than 0.1 ng/mL received ART. The median age (interquartile range) was 60 (55-65) years. After propensity score matching, the median (interquartile range) follow-up after surgery was similar between the ESRT and ART groups (73.3 [44.9-106.6] months vs 65.8 [40-107] months; P = .22). Adjuvant RT, compared with ESRT, was associated with higher freedom from biochemical failure (12-year actuarial rates: 69% [95% CI, 60%-76%] vs 43% [95% CI, 35%-51%]; effect size, 26%), freedom from distant metastases (95% [95% CI, 90%-97%] vs 85% [95% CI, 76%-90%]; effect size, 10%), and overall survival (91% [95% CI, 84%-95%] vs 79% [95% CI, 69%-86%]; effect size, 12%). Adjuvant RT, lower Gleason score and T stage, nodal irradiation, and postoperative androgen deprivation therapy were favorable prognostic features on multivariate analysis for biochemical failure. Sensitivity analysis demonstrated that the decreased risk of biochemical failure associated with ART remained significant unless more than 56% of patients in the ART group were cured by surgery alone. This threshold is greater than the estimated 12-year freedom from biochemical failure rate of 33% to 52% after radical prostatectomy alone, as determined by a contemporary dynamic nomogram. Conclusions and Relevance Adjuvant RT, compared with ESRT, was associated with reduced biochemical recurrence, distant metastases, and death for high-risk patients, pending prospective validation. These findings suggest that a greater proportion of patients with prostate cancer who have adverse pathological features may benefit from postprostatectomy ART rather than surveillance followed by ESRT.

Intermediate Endpoints After Postprostatectomy Radiotherapy: 5-Year Distant Metastasis to Predict Overall Survival

BACKGROUND Intermediate clinical endpoints (ICEs) prognostic for overall survival (OS) are needed for men receiving postprostatectomy radiation therapy (PORT) to improve clinical trial design. OBJECTIVE To identify a potential ICE for men receiving PORT. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS We performed an institutional review board-approved multi-institutional retrospective study of 566 men consecutively treated with PORT at tertiary care centers from 1986 to 2013. The median follow-up was 8.2 yr. OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS AND STATISTICAL ANALYSIS Biochemical failure (BF), distant metastases (DM), and castrate-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) were evaluated for correlation with OS and assessed as time-dependent variables in a multivariable Cox proportional hazards model and in landmark analyses at 1, 3, 5, and 7 yr after PORT. Cross-validated concordance (c) indices were used to assess model discrimination. RESULTS AND LIMITATIONS OS at 1, 3, 5, and 7 yr after PORT was 98%, 95%, 90%, and 82%, respectively. In a time-varying model controlling for clinical and pathologic variables, BF (hazard ratio [HR] 2.32, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.45-3.71; p<0.001), DM (HR 6.52, 95% CI 4.20-10.1; p<0.001), and CRPC (HR 2.47, 95% CI 1.56-3.92; p<0.001) were associated with OS. In landmark analyses, 5-yr DM had the highest c index when adjusting for baseline covariates (0.78), with 5-yr DM also providing the greatest increase in discriminatory power over a model only including baseline covariates. These findings require validation in prospective randomized data. CONCLUSIONS While limited by the retrospective nature of the data, 5-yr DM is associated with lower OS following PORT, outperforming the prognostic capability of BF and CRPC at 1, 3, 5, or 7 yr after treatment. Confirmation of this ICE as a surrogate for OS is needed from randomized trial data so that it can be incorporated into future clinical trial design. PATIENT SUMMARY We assessed potential intermediate clinical endpoints prognostic for overall survival in a cohort of men receiving radiotherapy after prostatectomy. We identified the development of metastatic disease within 5 yr after treatment as the strongest predictor of overall survival.

Individualizing Radiation Dose in Locally Advanced Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer Patients Using Pretreatment Serum MicroRNA Signatures

RTOG 0915 was open, and closed on April 15; 2015 after accruing a total of 98 patients. All patients received planned SBRT treatment. Median follow-up was 27 months. In follow-up; 10 patients were lost to follow-up; 1 was in arm 1 and 9 in arm 2. Baseline patient and tumor characteristics were balanced between both arms. Thirteen (27%) patients on arm 1 and 16 (33%) patients on arm 2 experienced RTOG grade 3 AEs; there were no grade 4 AEs. Thoracic grade 3 AEs were experienced by 8 (16%) patients on arm 1 and 6 (12%) patients on arm 2. There were no differences in OS or PFS survival, log-rank PZ.44 and .99, respectively. OS at 2 years was 71% (95% CI; 55-82%) for arm 1 and 61% (95% CI; 44-78%) for arm 2. PFS at 2 years was 63% (95% CI; 46-75%) for arm 1 and 51% (95% CI; 34-65%) for arm 2. Conclusion: This randomized phase 2 study demonstrated that 30 Gy in one fraction was equivalent to 60 Gy in three fractions in terms of toxicity, progression-free survival, and overall survival. Author Disclosure: A.K. Singh: None. J. Gomez Suescun: None. K.L. Stephans: None. J.A. Bogart: None. T. Lili: None. H. Malhotra: None. G.M. Videtic: None. A. Groman: None.

Multi-institutional Evaluation of Elective Nodal Irradiation and/or Androgen Deprivation Therapy with Postprostatectomy Salvage Radiotherapy for Prostate Cancer

BACKGROUND Outcomes with postprostatectomy salvage radiation therapy (SRT) are not ideal. Little evidence exists regarding potential benefits of adding whole pelvic radiation therapy (WPRT) alone or in combination with androgen deprivation therapy (ADT). OBJECTIVE To explore whether WPRT and/or ADT added to prostate bed radiation therapy (PBRT) improves freedom from biochemical failure (FFBF) or distant metastases (DM). DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS A database was compiled from 10 academic institutions of patients with postprostatectomy prostate-specific antigen (PSA) >0.01 ng/ml; pT1-4, Nx/0, cM0; and Gleason score (GS) ≥7 treated between 1987 and 2013. Median follow-up was 51 mo. INTERVENTIONS WPRT and/or ADT in addition to PBRT. OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS AND STATISTICAL ANALYSES FFBF and DM were calculated using cumulative incidence estimation. Multivariable analysis (MVA) utilized cumulative incidence regression. RESULTS AND LIMITATION Median pre-SRT PSA was 0.5 ng/ml for 1861 patients. Median follow-up for patients not experiencing biochemical failure (BF) was 55 mo. MVA showed increased BF for PBRT versus WPRT (hazard ratio [HR] 1.82, p<0.001) and no ADT versus ADT (HR 1.70, p<0.001). WPRT was associated with a 5-yr FFBF of 62% versus 49% (p<0.001) for PBRT. ADT use was associated with improved 5-yr FFBF (55% vs 50%, p=0.012). No significant differences in DM cumulative incidence were found. CONCLUSIONS For patients with GS ≥7 receiving SRT, clinicians should weigh FFBF benefits of WPRT and ADT against toxicities. Future studies should explore the impact of WPRT on quality of life, clinical progression, and overall survival. PATIENT SUMMARY We evaluated patients with prostate cancer treated with radiation after surgery to remove the prostate. Both radiation to the pelvic lymph nodes and suppression of testosterone lowered the chance of increasing prostate-specific antigen (a marker for cancer returning).

Radiation-induced lung toxicity in non-small-cell lung cancer: Understanding the interactions of clinical factors and cytokines with the dose-toxicity relationship

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Current methods to estimate risk of radiation-induced lung toxicity (RILT) rely on dosimetric parameters. We aimed to improve prognostication by incorporating clinical and cytokine data, and to investigate how these factors may interact with the effect of mean lung dose (MLD) on RILT. MATERIALS AND METHODS Data from 125 patients treated from 2004 to 2013 with definitive radiotherapy for stages I-III NSCLC on four prospective clinical trials were analyzed. Plasma levels of 30 cytokines were measured pretreatment, and at 2 and 4weeks midtreatment. Penalized logistic regression models based on combinations of MLD, clinical factors, and cytokine levels were developed. Cross-validated estimates of log-likelihood and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) were used to assess accuracy. RESULTS In prognosticating grade 3 or greater RILT by MLD alone, cross-validated log-likelihood and AUC were -28.2 and 0.637, respectively. Incorporating clinical features and baseline cytokine levels increased log-likelihood to -27.6 and AUC to 0.669. Midtreatment cytokine data did not further increase log-likelihood or AUC. Of the 30 cytokines measured, higher levels of 13 decreased the effect of MLD on RILT, corresponding to a lower odds ratio for RILT per Gy MLD, while higher levels of 4 increased the association. CONCLUSIONS Although the added prognostic benefit from cytokine data in our model was modest, understanding how clinical and biologic factors interact with the MLD-RILT relationship represents a novel framework for understanding and investigating the multiple factors contributing to radiation-induced toxicity.

Anatomical patterns of recurrence following biochemical relapse after post‐prostatectomy salvage radiation therapy: a multi‐institutional study

To characterise the frequency and detailed anatomical sites of failure for patients receiving post‐radical prostatectomy (RP) salvage radiation therapy (SRT).