Department of Radiation Oncology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA.
To compare the biochemical outcome and toxicity scores of men with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and prostate cancer with a matched control population with negative or unknown HIV status when treated with external-beam radiotherapy (EBRT).
A single-institution database of men with prostate cancer treated with EBRT from 1999 to 2009 was reviewed. Thirteen men with HIV were identified and matched to 2 control patients according to age, race, T stage, prostate-specific antigen level, Gleason score, RT dose, intensity-modulated RT vs. three-dimensional conformal RT, and whole-pelvis vs. prostate-only RT, for a total of 39 cases. The median follow-up time was 39 months (range, 3-110 months).
The 4-year biochemical failure (BF)-free survival rate was 87% in the HIV-positive group vs. 89% in the controls (p = 0.94). Pre- and post-RT viral loads were found to be predictive of BF (p = 0.04 and p = 0.04, respectively). No men with HIV died, whereas 2 in the control group died of causes unrelated to prostate cancer. Acute and chronic genitourinary and gastrointestinal toxicity were less in the HIV-positive patients than in controls (p < 0.001, p < 0.001, p = 0.003, and p < 0.001, respectively). The HIV-positive men experienced an average decline in CD4 count of 193 cells/mm3.
Our findings suggest that men with HIV treated with EBRT have a similar risk of BF; however, high viral loads may contribute to an increased risk. This analysis supports that HIV-positive men with prostate cancer can be treated with definitive EBRT with similar disease control and toxicity outcomes as in the general population.
Written by:
Kahn S, Jani A, Edelman S, Rossi P, Godette K, Landry J, Anderson C. Are you the author?
Reference: Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys. 2011 Nov 19. Epub ahead of print.
doi: 10.1016/j.ijrobp.2011.05.047
PubMed Abstract
PMID: 22104362
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