Publications by authors named "Pascal Pommier"
Short-term Androgen Deprivation Therapy and High-dose Radiotherapy in Intermediate- and High-risk Localized Prostate Cancer: Results from the GETUG 14 Randomized Phase 3 Trial.
Eur Urol
August 2025
Background And Objective: Few studies have compared short-term androgen deprivation (STADT) combined with high-dose radiotherapy (STADT-RT) versus high-dose radiotherapy (RT) alone in localized prostate cancer.
Methods: The GETUG 14 study randomized 376 patients to RT (n = 191) or STADT-RT (n = 179). The RT dose was 80 Gy in both arms.
Background And Objective: To better understand the role of hormone therapy (HT) with postoperative radiotherapy (RT) for nonmetastatic prostate cancer, the DADSPORT Collaboration planned a systematic review and meta-analysis of aggregate data from randomised controlled trials (RCTs).
Methods: RCTs evaluating HT with postoperative RT in people with nonmetastatic prostate cancer were identified. Methods were prespecified prior to results of recent trials being known (CRD42022325769).
Purpose: Radiotherapy quality assurance (RTQA) is essential for ensuring adherence to trial protocols. This paper summarizes the individual case review (ICR) results from the PEACE-1 trial, a phase-III study investigates standard of care (androgen deprivation therapy with or without docetaxel) with or without local radiotherapy; and with or without abiraterone acetate plus prednisone in patients with metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer (mHSPC).
Materials And Methods: Participating institutions submitted radiotherapy (RT) plans for central review, assessing protocol compliance in target volume and organs at risk (OARs) delineation, as well as dose specifications.
Patterns of Relapse Following Radiation Therapy of Intermediate-Risk Prostate Cancer in the PROFIT Randomized Trial.
Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys
June 2025
Purpose: Conventionally fractionated radiation therapy (CFRT) and hypofractionated RT (HFRT) are established treatments for intermediate-risk (IR) prostate cancer (PCa), with differing dose per fraction. However, their comparative patterns of failure remain unclear. This stuy aims to analyze the distinct relapse patterns of HFRT versus CFRT in terms of local progression-free survival (LPFS), pelvic lymph node metastasis-free survival (pnMFS), extrapelvic lymph node MFS (epnMFS), and bone MFS (bMFS).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHerein, we provide a non-exhaustive selection of the main clinical trials presented in 2023-2024 related to radiation-oncology used in the treatment of urological cancers including prostate cancer (radiotherapy of localized prostate cancer, post-prostatectomy irradiation, reirradiation, biochemical recurrence following local treatment, radiotherapy for metastatic cancer), muscle invasive bladder cancer and primary kidney cancer.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- Early salvage radiotherapy (SRT) is a treatment for patients who have issues after prostate surgery, but results can vary a lot.
- Researchers wanted to create a scoring system to help predict how well patients would do with SRT based on certain risk factors.
- The study found that three major factors—PSA levels, Gleason Score, and margin status—can help doctors give better advice to patients about their treatment options.
Article Synopsis
- - Early-stage anal squamous cell carcinomas (ASCC) are typically treated with chemoradiotherapy (CRT), but the study suggests that radiotherapy (RT) alone may provide similar effectiveness with reduced side effects.
- - The research included 440 patients, with no significant differences in three-year disease-free survival, overall survival, or colostomy-free survival between those treated with CRT and RT.
- - Patients receiving CRT experienced more treatment interruptions and higher levels of severe toxicities compared to those receiving RT, implying that CRT may be less favorable due to increased toxicity and longer treatment times.
Efficacy and Toxicity of (Chemo)Radiation Therapy in HIV+ Patients with Squamous Cell Anal Cancer, a Subgroup Analysis of the National Multicenter Cohort FFCD-ANABASE.
Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys
November 2024
Purpose: The influence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection on clinical outcomes in patients receiving (chemo)radiation therapy (RT) for squamous cell carcinoma of the anus (SCCA) is debated. The objective of this study was to compare efficacy and safety according to HIV status in patients with SCCA treated with C/RT.
Methods And Materials: Between January 2015 and April 2020, 488 patients with a known HIV status (17.
Article Synopsis
- The study evaluates the effectiveness of a combination treatment involving abiraterone acetate plus prednisone, prostate bed radiotherapy, and goserelin in men experiencing biochemical recurrence after prostatectomy, focusing on the potential role of circulating tumor cells (CTCs).
- Conducted as a phase 2 trial with 46 participants over a median follow-up of 47 months, the results reported a 3-year biochemical recurrence-free survival rate of 81.5% and an alternative rate of 95.6%.
- Common side effects included acute issues like pollakiuria during radiotherapy and long-term effects like urinary incontinence, while non-radiotherapy-related side effects included hot flashes and hypertension, with a CTC count ≥5 linked to
Article Synopsis
- This study aimed to fill the gap in published information regarding brachytherapy for pediatric rhabdomyosarcoma and to establish guidelines for its use.*
- An expert panel, consisting of 24 professionals in pediatric oncology and related fields, gathered to discuss their experiences and review relevant data to inform their findings.*
- The panel concluded that brachytherapy is often used alongside tumor removal and developed consensus guidelines that will inform future research and treatment practices for this type of cancer.*
Article Synopsis
- Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) combined with elective nodal radiotherapy (ENRT) shows promising long-term outcomes for men with limited prostate cancer recurrence, specifically targeting pelvic lymph nodes.
- In a trial involving 67 patients, after a median follow-up of over 6 years, a significant proportion experienced prolonged tumor control with manageable levels of toxicities.
- After 5 years, about one-third of patients remained free from biochemical relapse, highlighting ENRT's effectiveness in maintaining remission and delaying disease progression.
Article Synopsis
- The study aimed to assess how the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels six months after radiotherapy affect the prognosis of patients treated with radiotherapy alone or along with short- or long-term androgen-deprivation therapy (ADT).
- Data were collected from 16 clinical trials involving localized prostate cancer patients, analyzing their PSA levels and their association with metastasis-free survival (MFS), prostate cancer-specific mortality (PCSM), and overall survival (OS) twelve months post-treatment.
- Results showed higher PSA levels (≥0.1 ng/mL) after treatment were linked to poorer MFS, OS, and higher PCSM rates across all treatment groups, indicating that PSA levels can help in making treatment decisions and designing future clinical trials
Background And Purpose: We performed a cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA) comparing an adaptive radiotherapy (ART) strategy, based on weekly replanning, aiming to correct the parotid gland overdose during treatment and expecting therefore to decrease xerostomia, when compared to a standard IMRT.
Materials And Methods: We conducted the ARTIX trial, a randomized, parallel-group, multicentric study comparing a systematic weekly replanning ART to a standard IMRT. The primary endpoint was the frequency of xerostomia at 12 months, measured by stimulating salivary flow with paraffin.
Purpose: To retrospectively assess the differences between planned and delivered dose during ultra-hypofractionated (UHF) prostate cancer treatments, by evaluating the dosimetric impact of daily anatomical variations alone, and in combination with prostate intrafraction motion.
Methods: Prostate intrafraction motion was recorded with a transperineal ultrasound probe in 15 patients treated by UHF radiotherapy (36.25 Gy/5 fractions).
Article Synopsis
- Standard care for non-metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the anus involves chemoradiotherapy, but there's limited data on how elderly patients (≥75 years) respond compared to younger patients (<75 years).
- A study analyzed 1015 patients from the FFCD-ANABASE cohort; 202 were elderly, revealing that they had different demographics and treatment characteristics but similar outcomes (overall survival, recurrence-free survival, and colostomy-free survival) to younger patients.
- The results suggest that age does not significantly affect treatment outcomes for non-metastatic SCCA, indicating that elderly patients should receive optimal curative treatment similar to younger patients.
Purpose: High-risk (HR) prostate cancer patients usually receive high-dose radiotherapy (RT) using a two-phase sequential technique, but data on a simultaneous integrated boost (SIB) technique are lacking. We prospectively evaluated the long-term results of urinary (GU) and digestive (GI) toxicity and survival data for high-dose RT using a SIB technique in HR and very high-risk (VHR) prostate cancer.
Methods: Patients were treated using an SIB technique in 34 fractions, at a dose of 54.
Background: Genitourinary (GU) or gastrointestinal (GI) complications and tumor relapse can occur in the long term after radiotherapy for prostate cancer.
Objective: To assess the late tolerance and relapse-free survival (RFS) in patients undergoing hypofractionated stereotactic boost therapy after external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) for intermediate-risk prostate cancer.
Design Setting And Participants: Seventy-six patients with intermediate-risk prostate carcinoma between August 2010 and April 2013 were included.
Importance: Xerostomia is a major toxic effect associated with intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) for oropharyngeal cancers.
Objective: To assess whether adaptive radiotherapy (ART) improves salivary function compared with IMRT in patients with head and neck cancer.
Design, Setting, And Participants: This phase 3 randomized clinical trial was conducted in 11 French centers.
Background: Management of macroscopic local recurrence (MLR) after radical prostatectomy is a challenging situation with no standardized approach.
Objective: The objective of our study was to assess the efficacy and safety of functional image-guided salvage radiotherapy (SRT) in patients with MLR in the prostate bed.
Design, Setting, And Participants: In this international multicenter retrospective study across 16 European centers, eligible patients were initially treated by radical prostatectomy (RP) with or without pelvic lymph node dissection for localized or locally advanced adenocarcinoma of the prostate.
Article Synopsis
- - Patients with oligometastatic prostate cancer (having up to 5 metastases) generally have a better prognosis than those with more extensive disease, making this a crucial area for treatment investigation.
- - The study investigates whether combining stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) with the immune checkpoint inhibitor durvalumab can improve progression-free survival in these patients compared to SBRT alone.
- - This multicenter phase II trial will evaluate various outcomes, including quality of life and immune response, by enrolling 96 participants over three years, aiming to provide insights into better treatment strategies for prostate cancer.
Resident training in brachytherapy in France: A 10-year update after the first survey of SFJRO members.
J Contemp Brachytherapy
December 2022
Article Synopsis
- - A 2021 survey of French radiation oncology residents found that 80% feel their brachytherapy training is inadequate, even though interest in the field remains high at 86% participation.
- - While proficiency in certain brachytherapy techniques has slightly improved since 2012, significant gaps remain, especially in prostate brachytherapy, with many residents reporting minimal hands-on experience.
- - Major barriers to effective training include the necessity of visiting multiple centers for different treatments, insufficient brachytherapy activities at their home institutions, and competing hospital responsibilities, highlighting the need for improved structured training programs.
Introduction: International guidelines regarding the treatment of squamous cell carcinoma of the anus (SCCA) recommend intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) combined with mitomycin-based chemotherapy (CT). The French FFCD-ANABASE cohort aimed at evaluating clinical practices, treatment, and outcomes of SCCA patients.
Methods: This prospective multicentric observational cohort included all non-metastatic SCCA patients treated in 60 French centers from January 2015 to April 2020.
Article Synopsis
- The study investigates the effectiveness and safety of stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) as a salvage treatment for prostate cancer recurrence after previous radiation therapy, focusing on determining the best dosing regimen.
- It included 21 patients with specific cancer characteristics, delivering either five or six doses of 6 Gy, and monitored for any severe side effects in the first 18 weeks post-treatment.
- Results showed no severe complications, and while some patients experienced mild genitourinary issues, all were alive and cancer-free during the follow-up, leading to a recommendation for the 6 × 6 Gy dosage to advance further studies.
Article Synopsis
- Radiotherapy dose escalation, specifically through the addition of high dose-rate brachytherapy (HDR-BB), has been shown to enhance biochemical control in patients with intermediate- to high-risk prostate cancer, as validated by this study involving 709 patients.* -
- After a median follow-up of 62 months, the results revealed a 5-year biochemical control rate of 87.5%, with 91% for intermediate-risk and 85% for high-risk categories, alongside high rates of clinical relapse-free survival and overall survival.* -
- The study concluded that HDR-BB is effective and well-tolerated when used with external beam radiotherapy, and suggests that integrating new hormonal treatments or refined fractionation regimens could
Current risk-stratification systems for prostate cancer (PCa) do not sufficiently reflect the disease heterogeneity. Genomic classifiers (GC) enable improved risk stratification after surgery, but less data exist for patients treated with definitive radiation therapy (RT) or RT in oligo-/metastatic disease stages. To guide future perspectives of GCs for RT, we conducted (1) a systematic review on the evidence of GCs for patients treated with RT and (2) a survey of experts using the Delphi method, addressing the role of GCs in personalized treatments to identify relevant fields of future clinical and translational research.
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