Trial Information

A Phase III Trial of Short Term Androgen Deprivation With Pelvic Lymph Node or Prostate Bed Only Radiotherapy (SPPORT) in Prostate Cancer Patients With a Rising PSA After Radical Prostatectomy

OBJECTIVES:

Primary

- To determine whether the addition of short-term androgen deprivation (STAD) to prostate
bed radiotherapy (PBRT) improves freedom from progression (FFP) (i.e., maintenance of a
prostate-specific antigen [PSA] less than the nadir+2 ng/mL, absence of clinical
failure, and absence of death from any cause) for 5 years, over that of PBRT alone in
men treated with salvage radiotherapy after radical prostatectomy.

- To determine whether STAD, pelvic lymph node radiotherapy (PLNRT), and PBRT improves
FFP over that of STAD+PBRT and PBRT alone in men treated with salvage radiotherapy
after radical prostatectomy.

Secondary

- To compare the rates of a PSA ≥ 0.4 ng/mL and rising at 5 years after randomization
(secondary biochemical failure endpoint), the development of hormone-refractory disease
(3 rises in PSA during treatment with salvage androgen-deprivation therapy), distant
metastasis, cause-specific mortality, and overall mortality.

- To compare acute and late morbidity based on Common Toxicity Criteria for Adverse
Effects (CTCAE), v. 3.0.

- To measure the expression of cell kinetic, apoptotic pathway, and angiogenesis-related
genes in archival diagnostic tissue to better define the risk of FFP, distant failure,
cause-specific mortality, and overall mortality after salvage radiotherapy for prostate
cancer, independently of conventional clinical parameters now used.

- To quantify blood product-based proteomic and genomic (single nucleotide polymorphisms)
patterns and urine-based genomic patterns before and at different times after treatment
to better define the risk of FFP, distant failure, cause-specific mortality, and
overall mortality after salvage radiotherapy for prostate cancer, independently of
conventional clinical parameters now used.

- To assess the degree, duration, and significant differences of disease-specific
health-related quality of life (HRQOL) decrements among treatment arms.

- To assess whether mood is improved and depression is decreased with the more aggressive
therapy if it improves FFP.

- To collect paraffin-embedded tissue blocks, serum, plasma, urine, and buffy coat cells
for future translational research analyses.

Tertiary

- To assess whether an incremental gain in FFP and survival with more aggressive therapy
outweighs decrements in the primary generic domains of HRQOL (i.e., mobility, self
care, usual activities, pain/discomfort, and anxiety/depression).

- To evaluate the cost-utility of the treatment arm demonstrating the most significant
benefit (in terms of the primary outcome) in comparison with other widely accepted
cancer and non-cancer therapies.

- To assess associations between serum levels of beta-amyloid and measures of cognition
and mood and depression.

- An exploratory aim is to assess the relationship(s) between the American Urological
Association Symptom Index (AUA SI) and urinary morbidity using the CTCAE v. 3.0 grading
system.

OUTLINE: Patients are stratified according to seminal vesicle involvement (yes vs no),
prostatectomy Gleason score (≤ 7 vs 8-9), pre-radiotherapy PSA (≥ 0.1 and ≤ 1.0 ng/mL vs >
1.0 and < 2.0 ng/mL), and pathology stage (pT2 and margin negative vs all others). Patients
are randomized to 1 of 3 treatment arms.

- Arm I (prostate bed radiotherapy [PBRT] alone): Patients undergo PBRT once daily, 5
days a week, Monday through Friday, for approximately 7-8 weeks (36 to 39 fractions).

- Arm II (PBRT and short-term androgen-deprivation [STAD]): Beginning 2 months before the
start of PBRT, patients undergo STAD, using a combination of antiandrogen and
luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH) agonist therapy, for a total of 4-6
months. Patients receive antiandrogen therapy comprising either oral flutamide 3 times
daily or oral bicalutamide once daily for at least 4 months (started within 1-14 days
prior to the LHRH agonist and ending the last day of radiotherapy ± 14 days). Patients
receive LHRH agonist injection beginning concurrently with or 2 weeks after the start
of antiandrogen therapy. LHRH agonist injection consists of analogs approved by the FDA
(or by Health Canada for Canadian institutions) (e.g., leuprolide, goserelin,
buserelin, or triptorelin) and may be given in any possible combination (may be given
as a single 4-month injection and one to two 1-month injection[s], two 3-month
injections, or a 6-month injection), such that the total LHRH agonist treatment time is
4-6 months. Approximately 2 months after beginning of STAD, patients undergo PBRT as in
arm I.

- Arm III (Pelvic lymph node radiotherapy [PLNRT], PBRT, and STAD): Beginning 2 months
before the start of radiotherapy, patients receive STAD therapy as in arm II.
Approximately 2 months after beginning of STAD, patients undergo PBRT and PLNRT once
daily, 5 days a week, Monday through Friday, for approximately 5 weeks (25 fractions)
followed by PBRT only once daily, 5 days a week for approximately 2-3 weeks (11-14
fractions).

Patients complete the American Urological Association Symptom Index (AUA SI) questionnaire
prior to protocol treatment, at week 6 of radiotherapy, and then periodically after
completion of study therapy.

After completion of study therapy, patients are followed up every 3 months for 1 year, every
6 months for 4 years, and then annually thereafter.