[Salvage radiotherapy for pT3 prostate cancer with PSA failure after radical prostatectomy]

We assessed the effectiveness of salvage radiotherapy in 13 patients at pathologic stage T3 (pT3) with prostate specific antigen (PSA) failure after radical prostatectomy: 9 patients at pT3a and 4 patients at pT3b. Three-dimensional dynamic conformal radiotherapy was used for all patients in this study, and the median radiation dose was 57.7 Gy (range, 44-70 Gy) in daily amounts of 2 Gy. The median follow-up after salvage radiotherapy was 643 days (range, 193-1562 days). In 12 of the 13 patients, PSA levels decreased after salvage radiotherapy, but in 1 patient, the PSA level increased and hence the treatment was discontinued at 44 Gy. However, 10 patients exhibited a lasting PSA response. The 3-year biochemical progression-free rate was 74%, and no serious acute or late toxicity was observed during the follow-up. Salvage radiotherapy is likely to become one of the effective treatments for the patients at pT3 with PSA failure following radical prostatectomy.