Radical prostatectomy (RP) may be considered for recurrent prostate cancer (PCa) following primary curative-intended local therapy. The effect of different prior therapies on patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) after RP is not well defined.
Validated PROMs (SF-12, EPIC-26, Decision Regret Scale) were used to compare health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and functional status changes following salvage RP after radiotherapy (RT-sRP) or focal therapy (FT-sRP), relative to primary RP.
Among 26,515 RP patients who underwent RP between 2014 and 2024, 107 (0.4%) previously received radiotherapy (RT-sRP) and 98 (0.4%) previously received focal therapy (FT-sRP). Compared with primary patients before RP, only the sexual function of RT-sRP patients was lower (EPIC score, 51 vs. 75, p < 0.001). One year after RP, RT-sRP patients exhibited lower functional status in all EPIC-26 domains compared to primary RP patients, whereas FT-sRP patients did not differ significantly. For instance, the median 1 yr EPIC-26 urinary incontinence scores were 46 (RT-sRP), 86 (FT-sRP), and 92 (primary RP). In adjusted mixed model analyses, the detrimental effects of RT-sRP vs. primary RP were further validated. In contrast, no such association was observed for FT-sRP. Decision regret and severe complications were low.
Prior FT had only a marginal effect on HRQOL and functional status following RP, while urinary continence and sexual function were lower for RT-sRP patients as compared to primary RP patients. However, from an overall PROM perspective, prior therapies did not exert a prohibitive effect that would preclude RP as a treatment option in those patients.
Cancers. 2025 Jan 25*** epublish ***
Fabian Falkenbach, Johanna Hagemann, Francesca Ambrosini, Pierre I Karakiewicz, Zhe Tian, Yamini Nagaraj, Burkhard Beyer, Philipp Mandel, Felix Preisser, Derya Tilki, Tobias Maurer, Lars Budäus, Hans Heinzer, Alexander Haese, Thomas Steuber, Georg Salomon, Markus Graefen
Martini-Klinik Prostate Cancer Center, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, 20246 Hamburg, Germany., Cancer Prognostics and Health Outcomes Unit, Division of Urology, University of Montreal Health Center, Montreal, QC H2X 0A9, Canada., Center for Urological Rehabilitation, Klinik Wildetal, 34537 Bad Wildungen, Germany.