The outcome of salvage prostate cryotherapy is related to PSA levels before treatment

The study presented here investigated the predictive value of pre-treatment Prostate Serum Antigen (PSA) levels in patients with recurrent localized prostate cancer as a prognostic marker for successful salvage prostate cryotherapy. The authors found that a PSA level of < 5 ng/ml is a prognostic marker for a successful treatment outcome with cryotherapy in patients with locally recurrent prostate cancer.

Salvage prostate cryotherapy is a minimally invasive alternative treatment for recurrent localized prostate cancer (usually after unsuccessful radiation and/or hormonal treatment). It is a way of treating prostate cancer that uses freezing to kill the cancer cells in the prostate gland. It is also sometimes known as cryosurgery or cryoablation. It is estimated that between 10 – 60% of prostate cancer patients treated with radiotherapy will experience a “biochemical recurrence” (where the PSA level increases again after previous prostate cancer treatment). 

The study presented here evaluated in retrospect the treatment outcome in 156 patients with recurrent prostate cancer who had undergone salvage cryotherapy. For all patients, pre-treatment data (PSA-values prior to cryotherapy) and treatment outcome data with a mean follow-up of 3.8 years (0.9 – 12.7 years) were available for assessment.

The aim of the analysis was to investigate if there was a link between PSA levels before salvage therapy and the biochemical disease-free survival rate (no increase in total serum PSA level after treatment).

The analysis revealed that patients with a pre-treatment PSA level of < 5 ng/ml had a significantly better outcome than patients with PSA levels > 5 ng/ml.

Patients who are suspected to have a local recurrence of prostate cancer (following primary treatment) should be referred early for cryotherapy, since a pre-salvage PSA level of < 5 ng/ml is related to a favorable treatment outcome.

Speak to your doctor about the early detection of “biochemical recurrence” (an increasing PSA level) and the referral for prostate salvage cryotherapy as a possible treatment option.