Long-term follow-up after radiotherapy for prostate cancer with and without rectal hydrogel spacer: a pooled prospective evaluation of bowel-associated quality of life.
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
9-1-2020
Publication Title
BJU International
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the long-term bowel-associated quality of life (QOL) in men after radiotherapy (RT) for prostate cancer with and without the use of rectal hydrogel spacer.
PATIENTS AND METHODS: The patients' QOL was examined using the Expanded Prostate Cancer Index Composite (EPIC) and mean changes from baseline in EPIC domains were evaluated. A total of 215 patients from a randomised multi-institutional trial of RT, with or without hydrogel spacer, with a QOL endpoint were pooled with 165 non-randomised patients from a single institution with prospective QOL collection in patients with or without hydrogel spacer. The proportions of men with minimally important differences (MIDs) relative to pre-treatment baseline in the bowel domain were tested using repeated measure logistic models with a pre-specified threshold for clinically significant declines (≥5 equivalent to MIDx1 and ≥10 equivalent to MIDx2).
RESULTS: A total of 380 men were evaluated (64% with spacer and 36% without) with QOL data being available for 199 men with >24 months of follow-up [median (range) 39.5 (31-71.4) months]. Treatment with spacer was associated with less decline in average long-term bowel QOL (89.4 for control and 94.7 for spacer) with differences at >24 months meeting the threshold of a MID difference between cohorts (bowel score difference from baseline: control = -5.1, spacer = 0.3, difference = -5.4; P < 0.001). When evaluated over time men without spacer were more likely to have MIDx1 (5 points) declines in bowel QOL (P = 0.01). At long-term follow-up MIDx1 was 36% without spacer vs 14% with spacer (P
CONCLUSIONS: In this pooled analysis of QOL after prostate RT with up to 5 years of follow-up, use of a rectal spacer was associated with preservation of bowel QOL. This QOL benefit was preserved with long-term follow-up.
Volume
126
Issue
3
First Page
367
Last Page
372
Recommended Citation
Seymour ZA, Hamstra DA, Daignault-Newton S, Bosch W, Michalski J, Gay HA, Pinkawa M. Long-term follow-up after radiotherapy for prostate cancer with and without rectal hydrogel spacer: a pooled prospective evaluation of bowel-associated quality of life. BJU Int. 2020 Sep;126(3):367-372. doi: 10.1111/bju.15097. Epub 2020 Jun 29. PMID: 32333714.
DOI
10.1111/bju.15097
ISSN
1464-410X
PubMed ID
32333714