A retrospective review of single-institution experience, published in July in the Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology (JVIR), suggests that percutaneous image-guided ablation is feasible, well tolerated and achieves “acceptable” local tumour control rates.
The investigators, Andrew J Erie, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, USA and colleagues, set out to retrospectively review and report the efficacy and safety of percutaneous image-guided ablation (cryoablation or radiofrequency ablation) in the treatment of oligometastatic prostate cancer.
As reported in JVIR, an institutional registry was retrospectively reviewed and revealed 16 patients with oligometastatic prostate cancer who underwent percutaneous image-guided ablation to treat 18 metastatic sites.
The researchers reported that a subgroup of seven patients with eight metastases were androgen-deprivation therapy-naïve and underwent ablation to delay initiation of this antihormone therapy whose main use is in treating prostate cancer. Local tumour control, progression-free survival, antihormone therapy -free survival, and procedural complications were analysed.
The study reported that local tumour control was achieved in over 80% at a median follow-up of over 25 months. There was local tumour recurrence in 17%, with a median time to local recurrence of 3.5 months. Estimated progression-free survival rates at 12 and 24 months were 56% and 43%, respectively. “In the seven patients who had not had anti-hormone therapy patients, local tumour control was achieved in all metastases, and the median androgen-deprivation therapy-free survival period was 29 months. There were no major procedural complications,” the authors write.
These findings led them to conclude that in this group of patients percutaneous ablation may be particularly useful in patients who wish to delay initiation of androgen-deprivation therapy.
