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Clinical Practice Guidelines for the management of locally advanced ...

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12 months in those with more extensive disease. The optimal <strong>management</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>se patients remains<br />

far from clear. There are no randomised studies addressing <strong>the</strong> role <strong>of</strong> pelvic radio<strong>the</strong>rapy. However a<br />

number <strong>of</strong> retrospective studies suggest that a fractionated course <strong>of</strong> high-dose palliative pelvic<br />

radiation treatment can be extremely useful in obtaining growth restraint and alleviating <strong>the</strong> symptoms<br />

arising from <strong>the</strong> disease process. 71-79 Bleeding (haematuria) responds particularly well. Similar results<br />

were found in a more recent case series. 80<br />

A small subset <strong>of</strong> patients can also present with significant metastatic nodal disease within <strong>the</strong> pelvis,<br />

abdomen, chest and supraclavicular or lower neck region. The enlarged nodes can result in significant<br />

pain or obstructive symptoms due to <strong>the</strong> extrinsic compression on <strong>the</strong> adjacent organs. No randomised<br />

or retrospective studies have specifically addressed <strong>the</strong> role <strong>of</strong> radiation treatment in this setting. It is<br />

unlikely that any such studies will be undertaken.<br />

Evidence summary Level References<br />

Although <strong>the</strong>re are no randomised prospective trials to address<br />

whe<strong>the</strong>r radio<strong>the</strong>rapy has a beneficial effect on incurable prostate<br />

cancer and its s<strong>of</strong>t tissue metastases, <strong>the</strong> question <strong>of</strong> benefit remains<br />

clinically important. There<strong>for</strong>e, nine case series have been reviewed<br />

noting that <strong>the</strong>se all pertain to <strong>locally</strong> <strong>advanced</strong> prostate cancer.<br />

There were no significant publications reviewing s<strong>of</strong>t tissue<br />

metastases.<br />

Recommendation<br />

IV 71-79<br />

Radio<strong>the</strong>rapy can be considered <strong>for</strong> palliation <strong>of</strong> symptoms secondary to <strong>locally</strong> progressive<br />

disease.<br />

Grade D<br />

Spinal cord compression/nerve root compression (with or without surgery)<br />

Spinal cord compression is an oncological emergency. It is a potentially devastating complication <strong>of</strong><br />

metastatic prostate cancer that can result in pain, paraplegia, incontinence and loss <strong>of</strong> independence. It<br />

is not uncommon <strong>for</strong> sequelae <strong>of</strong> metastatic disease to occur in between 1% and 12% <strong>of</strong> patients. 81 No<br />

randomised controlled trials were found that examined treatments <strong>for</strong> spinal cord compression<br />

specifically <strong>for</strong> prostate cancer patients. There<strong>for</strong>e, <strong>the</strong> systematic reviews were broadened to cover<br />

any trials that included prostate cancer patients.<br />

Radio<strong>the</strong>rapy is an effective and well-tolerated treatment <strong>for</strong> metastatic bone pain. It has been <strong>the</strong><br />

cornerstone <strong>of</strong> <strong>management</strong> <strong>for</strong> malignant spinal cord compression (MSCC) <strong>for</strong> decades as it is a noninvasive<br />

approach and associated with relatively low toxicity. Its effectiveness is based largely on<br />

retrospective outcomes from single institution series. There are no randomised trials comparing<br />

radio<strong>the</strong>rapy alone with ei<strong>the</strong>r surgery alone or dexamethasone alone <strong>for</strong> malignant spinal cord<br />

compression. There is one randomised trial <strong>of</strong> 276 patients comparing two fractionation schedules<br />

(16Gy/2f vs 30Gy/8f) that gives outcome data <strong>of</strong> radiation alone. 82 In this trial only 14% <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> entire<br />

cohort were prostate patients.<br />

The Maranzano 82 trial confirms <strong>the</strong> importance <strong>of</strong> radio<strong>the</strong>rapy in <strong>the</strong> <strong>management</strong> <strong>of</strong> spinal cord<br />

compression, with 90% <strong>of</strong> ambulatory patients still walking at one month and 28% <strong>of</strong> non-ambulatory<br />

patients regaining ability to walk. 82 However, regaining ambulation if paraplegic is rare. More than<br />

<strong>Clinical</strong> practice guidelines <strong>for</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>management</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>locally</strong> <strong>advanced</strong> and metastatic prostate cancer<br />

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