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Updated: Jul 13, 2026

A New Technique for Treating Low-risk Prostate Cancer—Super Active Surveillance
Published on: November 7, 2025
Novel risk scoring system for patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer treated with
Margo B Gerke1, Angelo Marra2, Michelle Jayaraj1
1Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322, United States.
Purpose:
Lutetium-177(177Lu)-PSMA-617 improves survival for patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer, but outcomes are heterogeneous and standardized risk stratification tools are lacking. We developed a novel risk stratification tool for patients treated with 177Lu-PSMA-617.
Methods:
We conducted a retrospective analysis of 163 patients at Emory Winship Cancer Institute. Four prognostic models using Cox proportional hazards models were constructed using best-subset variable selection and integrated into a composite model.
Results:
Among the 163 patients (52% White, 44% Black; 80% previous taxane use) body mass index decline during treatment was associated with shorter progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) (HR = 1.75, P = .03; HR = 2.35, P = .031). Higher subcutaneous adipose tissue index (SATI)/skeletal muscle index (SMI) was independently associated with improved OS (HR = 0.5, P = .019), whereas higher visceral adipose tissue index (VATI)/SATI was independently associated with worse OS (HR = 2.62, P = .005). A body composition-based prognostic score identified VATI/SATI, SMI, and total adiposity as the strongest OS predictors (C = 0.629). The composite score incorporating inflammatory biomarkers and body composition demonstrated good discrimination (C-index = 0.732) and effectively stratified patients by PFS and OS. For PFS, relative risks across increasing risk quartiles were 0.34, 0.40, and 0.62 in compared with the highest risk quartile (P = .034). For OS, corresponding hazard ratios were 0.15, 0.19, and 0.54 (P = .003).
Conclusions:
A risk score incorporating body composition and inflammatory biomarkers demonstrates prognostic value for patients treated with 177Lu-PSMA-617.
