The prevalence of persistent prostate cancer after radiotherapy detected at radical cystoprostatectomy for bladder cancer

Purpose More than half of the men who receive treatment for prostate cancer elect radiotherapy. After radiotherapy recurrence is determined by an increase in prostate specific antigen and not usually by pathological confirmation. We describe the prevalence of persistent gradable prostate cancer in men treated with radiotherapy for prostate cancer at radical cystoprostatectomy for bladder cancer. Materials and Methods A total of 78 patients underwent radiotherapy (brachytherapy and/or external beam radiation) before the development of bladder cancer requiring radical cystectomy at our institution. All tissues were evaluated by a specialized genitourinary pathologist. Results Median time from radiotherapy to radical cystoprostatectomy was 77 months. Gradable prostate cancer was identified in 45% of patients. Of the tumors 69% were Gleason score 7 or greater, 17% were pT3 or greater and 5% showed positive lymph nodes. Men treated more recently were less likely to have gradable prostate cancer, including 100% before 1980, 49% between 1980 and 2000 and 10% from 2000 to the present (p = 0.002) as were those who received external beam radiation alone compared to brachytherapy and combined brachytherapy/external beam radiation (58% vs 27% and 14%, respectively, p = 0.005). Conclusions After radiotherapy 45% of men had persistent prostate cancer (37% of men with no evidence of disease). A decreased prostate cancer rate was associated with later treatment year and combined brachytherapy/external beam radiation regimens. Similar to men treated with radical cystoprostatectomy for muscle invasive bladder cancer, meticulous attention should be paid during prostate removal in men treated with radiotherapy because many may have persistent prostate cancer. In addition, markers other than prostate specific antigen should be studied in men treated with radiotherapy to better identify those with biochemical recurrence.