Prostate volume before and after permanent prostate brachytherapy in patients receiving neoadjuvant androgen suppression

PURPOSE: Limited duration neoadjuvant cytoreductive hormonal therapy (NHT) is used before the definitive radiotherapeutic management of prostate cancer to decrease target volume size and/or to decrease urinary obstructive symptoms. The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of NHT on prostate volume before permanent prostate brachytherapy (PPB) and on prostatic edema after PPB. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Between May 1998 and February 2004, 408 patients underwent PPB at our institution and provided research authorization for the use of their records. Of these, 122 (30%) underwent NHT. Of the 122, 78 (64%) underwent transrectal ultrasound before the start of NHT. Patients undergoing PPB who received NHT were compared with a similar non-NHT group (N = 286). Detailed measurements of prostate volume were performed by transrectal ultrasound before and after NHT, if applicable. In addition, intraoperative preimplantation transrectal ultrasound and postimplantation transrectal ultrasound were also performed. Postimplantation computed tomography was performed within 1 day of PPB. RESULTS: The mean duration of NHT was 4.0 ± 1.1 months (range, 1-8 months). The mean prostate volume before NHT was 63.3 ± 22.8 cc (range, 19-138 cc), and after NHT (before PPB), it was 41.6 ± 16.4 cc (18-98 cc). The median prostate volume decrease after NHT was 22.7 cc or 34.9%. There was no significant difference in the degree of postimplantation prostate edema, as measured by the postimplantation to preimplantation ratio (1.18 ± 0.05 [range, 0.8-1.9]) for the NHT group and 1.21 ± 0.03 (range, 0.8-1.9) for the non-NHT group (P = 0.5). CONCLUSIONS: Prostate volume decreased by approximately one third after 4 months of NHT. NHT did not affect the degree of post-PPB prostatic edema.