Quality of Life Changes >10 Years After Postoperative Radiation Therapy After Radical Prostatectomy for Prostate Cancer

Purpose: To analyze long-term quality-of-life (QoL) changes related to postoperative radiation therapy (RT) after radical prostatectomy. Methods and Materials: Patients who received postoperative 3-dimensional conformal RT in the years 2003 to 2008 with 1.8 to 2.0 Gy fractions up to 66.0 to 66.6 Gy (n=181) were surveyed using the Expanded Prostate Cancer Index Composite questionnaire before the beginning of RT (A); on the last day (B); and 2 months (C), 1 to 3 years (D), 6 to 9 years (E), and 10 to 13 years (F) after RT. Results: Mean urinary bother, urinary incontinence bother, and bowel bother score changes (in relation to baseline at time A) of 13, 14, and 7 and 14, 15, and 7 were found at times E and F, respectively (P < .01 for all comparisons). Sexual function scores decreased 6 and 8 points on average (P < .01). Patient age at the time of RT had a considerable impact on urinary bother and urinary incontinence bother, with increasing differences over time when comparing patients aged < 68 versus >= 68 years: 0 versus 7 and 0 versus 7 points at time D and 8 versus 23 and 6 versus 35 points at time F, respectively. Patients who did not respond to RT with a decreasing prostate-specific antigen level had greater urinary and urinary incontinence bother and bowel bother score changes > 10 years after treatment (25 vs 12; P = .04, 36 vs 10; P = .03, and 20 vs 5; P = .07, respectively). A higher rectal dose was associated with greater acute and long-term bowel bother score decrease. No correlation was found between the dose to the bladder and QoL changes. Conclusions: In contrast to early evaluations in the first years, significantly decreasing QoL in the urinary, bowel, and sexual domains was found >5 years after RT. Aging is likely to be a major factor. Younger patients who responded to the treatment had the most favorable long-term QoL results. As 3-dimensional conformal RT was used in this study, intensity modulated concepts could result in improved outcomes. (C) 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.