Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in biochemical recurrence (BR) of prostate cancer: Final results.

Abstract

179 Background: CTCs have known prognostic implications in metastatic prostate cancer. We presented initial data on the role of CTCs in BR of prostate cancer (Aragon-Ching et. al., ASCO GU 2011). The primary aim of this study was to determine whether there is a correlation between the number of CTCs with prostate specific antigen (PSA) levels and PSA doubling time (PSADT) in men with BR. Methods: BR was defined as patients who have undergone primary treatment with prostatectomy or radiation or both, with a rise to ≥ 0.2 from a prior undetectable level for prior prostatectomy or > 2 mg/dl rise for post-nadir radiotherapy. 36 patients (pts) were enrolled from May 2010 to May 2012. CTCs were evaluated in 7.5 mL of peripheral blood using the CTC CellSearch test. Results: The median age for 36 pts was 69.5 (range: 51 – 91) with a median PSA of 1.65 ng/mL (range 0.2 – 65.8) and testosterone levels of 315 ng/dL (range: 31 – 727). Gleason scores ranged from 5 to 9 (median=7). Prostatectomy was the primary treatment in 25 pts, radiotherapy in 9 pts, Cyberknife in 1 pt and combined radiohormones in 1 pt. PSADT varied between 0.35 to 55 months, with a median of 7.43 mos. The incidence of positive CTCs was 8.3% (3 out of 36 pts) of whom 2 had biopsy-proven bony lesions upon presenting with equivocal scans. The 3 pts who had measurable CTCs had PSADT of 2.27, 4.99 and 3.08 months, respectively. Conclusions: Obtaining CTCs in unselected patients presenting with biochemical recurrence have low yield. However, obtaining a positive CTC raises the suspicion of presence of metastatic disease and may have utility for longitudinal follow-ups of patients with BR. Supported by IRG-08-091-01 from ACS to GWU Cancer Institute.