Ten-year treatment complication outcomes of radical prostatectomy vs external beam radiation vs brachytherapy for 1503 patients with intermediate risk prostate cancer

PURPOSE: To compare 10-year late complications of radical prostatectomy (RP) versus external-beam-radiation-therapy (EBRT) versus brachytherapy (BT). METHODS: Retrospective analysis was performed on 1503 intermediate-risk-prostate-cancer patients treated from 2004 to 2007, using univariate comparisons. Eight hundred and nineteen underwent RP, 574 EBRT, and 110 BT. RP urinary and rectal complications were graded severe if patients required >= 3 pads/diapers per day, chronic condom catheter or penile clamp, daily clean-intermittent-catheterization, sling, artificial-urinary-sphincter, or rectal fistula. Complications for EBRT/BT were severe if graded 3/4 on the Radiation-Therapy-Oncology-Group scale for late effects. The prevalence of erectile-dysfunction-devices (EDD) of injections, pumps and/or penile implants were compared. RESULTS: Median follow-up for RP versus EBRT versus BT were 10.0, 9.6, and 9.8 years. Median age were 62.1, 70.8, 65.3, p < 0.0001. The 10-year prevalence of severe urinary complications for RP versus EBRT versus BT were 10.1%, 12.5%, 4.6%, p = 0.03, and were less for RP < 64 years, p = 0.03, and lower Charlson score, p = 0.05. Pretreatment American-Urological-Association (AUA) score existed for 7.3%, 11.5%, 97.3% of RP versus EBRT versus BT, p < 0.0001, and the 10-year prevalence of EDD were 24.3%, 6.6%, 8.2%, respectively, p < 0.0001. Severe rectal complications were slightly higher for EBRT, p = 0.06. CONCLUSIONS: BT had lower prevalence of severe urinary complications, possibly by using AUA score to avoid patients with obstructive uropathy. Urinary complications may be reduced by limiting RP to younger, healthier patients, and by avoiding EBRT/BT with obstructive symptoms. RP had higher prevalence of EDD, despite having younger, healthier patients. (C) 2021 American Brachytherapy Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

This study compared the 10-year late complications of radical prostatectomy (RP), external-beam radiation therapy (EBRT), and brachytherapy (BT) in intermediate-risk prostate cancer patients. It was found that BT had a lower prevalence of severe urinary complications, while RP had a higher prevalence of erectile dysfunction devices (EDD).