• Gregory S Merrick, Wayne M Butler, Kent E Wallner, Brian Murray, Zachariah Allen, Jonathan H Lief, and Robert W Galbreath.
• Schiffler Cancer Center, Wheeling Hospital, Wheeling, WV 26003-6300, USA. gmerrick@wheelinghospital.com
• Brachytherapy. 2004 Jan 1; 3 (1): 22-9.

PurposeTo evaluate the effect of hormonal manipulation on catheter dependency, the resolution of urinary symptomatology, and the need for postbrachytherapy transurethral/transincisional resection (TURP/TUIP).Methods And MaterialsSeven hundred sixteen consecutive patients (median follow-up, 29 months) underwent brachytherapy for clinical T1b-T3a (1997 AJCC) prostate cancer from January 1998 through August 2002. Of the evaluated cohort, 400 patients were hormone naïve, 227 received short-course cytoreductive (< or = 6 months) hormonal therapy, and 89 received extended (>6 months) hormonal therapy. An alpha-blocker was initiated prior to implantation and continued at least until the International Prostate Symptom Score (I-PSS) returned to baseline levels. Evaluated parameters included age, T-stage, preimplant I-PSS, ultrasound volume, treatment planning volume, hormonal status, supplemental external beam radiation therapy (XRT), isotope, urethral dose, total implant activity, D90, and V100/150/200. Catheter dependency and the incidence of TURP/TUIP were also evaluated.ResultsSix hundred fifty three patients (91.2%) had the urinary catheter permanently removed on day 0 with 15 patients (2.1%) requiring a catheter beyond 4 days. The I-PSS returned to within 1 point of the antecedent value at a median of 4 months. Sixteen patients (2.2%) underwent postimplant TURP/TUIP. A Cox regression indicated that preimplant I-PSS, supplemental XRT, planning target volume, hormonal therapy, and number of seeds were the strongest predictors for I-PSS resolution. Using all available data, the strongest predictors for I-PSS at 18 months following brachytherapy included variants of I-PSS, isotope, and days of catheter dependency. The maximum I-PSS, planning target volume, and XRT best predicted for prolonged (#10878;4 days) catheter dependency. The need for postimplant TURP/TUIP was most closely associated with days of catheter dependency and the maximum increase in I-PSS. However, when only data available prior to implantation was entered into the model, hormonal therapy predicted for postsurgical intervention.ConclusionsIn this retrospective evaluation, hormonal manipulation did not statistically impact short-term or prolonged urinary catheter dependency or I-PSS at 18 months, but did influence time to I-PSS normalization and the need for postbrachytherapy surgical intervention.

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