Neoadjuvant ADT for Asian Patients Undergoing Robotic Radical Prostatectomy Is the Conversation Over?-A...

Evidence for neoadjuvant androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) before radical prostatectomy (RP) remains inconclusive, and current guidelines do not endorse its routine use.

We aimed to evaluate the impact of neoadjuvant ADT on surgical and oncologic outcomes in a Singaporean cohort undergoing radical prostatectomy.

In this retrospective study, 1091 men underwent RP between 2013 and 2024; a total of 105 received neoadjuvant ADT and 986 did not. A 1:1 propensity score-matched analysis was performed on age, PSA, PSA density, Gleason score, clinical T-stage, and receipt of adjuvant therapies, yielding 105 matched pairs.

The primary outcome was biochemical recurrence (BCR). Secondary surgical outcomes included operative time, estimated blood loss, length of stay, catheter duration, and postoperative complications. Secondary oncologic outcomes included extracapsular extension, margin status, seminal vesicle invasion, lymph node involvement, clinical-to-pathological T-stage downstaging, Gleason score decrease, and PSA decrease. Kaplan-Meier survival and univariable linear and logistic regression analyses were used. Subgroup analysis was performed using stratified odds ratios to identify clinical subgroups that derived the greatest benefit from neoadjuvant ADT in terms of biochemical recurrence reduction.

After matching, neoadjuvant ADT was associated with a lower rate of extracapsular extension (30.8% vs. 51.4%, p = 0.004), positive surgical margins (18.4% vs. 39.4%, p = 0.002), lymph node involvement (1.0% vs. 13.0%, p = 0.002), and biochemical recurrence (4.8% vs. 18.1%, p = 0.005). There were no significant differences in operative time, blood loss, length of stay, or complication rates. Before matching, 2-year biochemical recurrence-free survival (BCR-FS) did not differ significantly (93.0% vs. 88.2%, log-rank p = 0.26), but after matching, BCR-FS favored ADT (93.0% vs. 81.8%, log-rank p = 0.02). Subgroup analysis showed that the reduction in biochemical recurrence with neoadjuvant ADT was more pronounced in patients with PSA density ≥ 0.20 ng/mL², Gleason score ≥ 8, and clinical T3 disease. Limitations include the retrospective design and potential residual confounding.

Neoadjuvant ADT prior to RP significantly reduces locoregional spread and biochemical recurrence without increasing perioperative morbidity. Prospective trials are needed to confirm its benefit in high-risk prostate cancer.