Publications by authors named "Roberto Alonzi"

Background: Single-dose high-dose-rate brachytherapy (SD-HDR-BT) was compared to two or three fraction HDR BT in intermediate and high-risk localized prostate cancer with median follow-up of 10 years.

Materials And Methods: 293 patients received 1 × 19Gy or 1 × 20Gy (Group A = 49), 2 × 13Gy (Group B = 138), or 3 × 10.5 Gy (Group C = 106) HDR BT.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Radium-223 is a bone-seeking, ɑ-emitting radionuclide used to treat men with bone metastases from castration-resistant prostate cancer. Sclerotic bone lesions cannot be evaluated using Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors. Therefore, imaging response biomarkers are needed.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Pathological involvement of the seminal vesicle poses a treatment dilemma following robotic prostatectomy. Margin status plays an important role in deciding further management. A wide range of treatment options are available, including active monitoring, adjuvant radiotherapy, salvage radiotherapy, and occasionally androgen deprivation therapy.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Recurrence is common after neoadjuvant chemotherapy and radical treatment for muscle-invasive bladder cancer. We investigated the effect of adding nintedanib to neoadjuvant chemotherapy on response and survival in muscle-invasive bladder cancer.

Methods: NEOBLADE was a parallel-arm, double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled, phase 2 trial of neoadjuvant gemcitabine and cisplatin chemotherapy with nintedanib or placebo in locally advanced muscle-invasive bladder cancer.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Radium-223 is a bone-seeking, alpha-emitting radionuclide used in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). Radium-223 increases the risk of fracture when used in combination with abiraterone and prednisolone. The risk of fracture in men receiving radium-223 monotherapy is unclear.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Aim: The dominant intraprostatic lesion (DIL) is the commonest site of relapse after single dose high-dose-rate brachytherapy (HDR-BT) for localised prostate cancer. This study investigated toxicity and clinical outcomes of focal dose escalation to the DIL with dose de-escalation to the remaining prostate.

Materials/methods: Between November 2012 and July 2016, 50 patients with localised prostate adenocarcinoma received single fraction HDR-BT.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Purpose: To compare the biochemical control rates (BCRs), late gastrointestinal (GI) and genitourinary (GU) toxicities in patients with low- and intermediate risk prostate cancer (PCa) treated with high-dose-rate brachytherapy (HDR BT) of 19 Gy/1 fraction, 26 Gy/2 fractions, or stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR) of 36.25 Gy/5 fractions.

Methods And Materials: Between August 2008 and December 2017, patients with low- and intermediate risk PCa who received single dose or 2-fraction HDR BT, or 5-fraction SABR at a single institution were included.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Purpose/objective: Long-term follow up of single dose high-dose rate brachytherapy (HDR BT) for localised prostate cancer has revealed higher than expected rates of biochemical and local failure. This study aimed (i) to investigate the pattern of relapse within the prostate with reference to the initial site of disease in those patients; and (ii) to examine if there were any relationships between the HDR BT dosimetric parameters to these areas of recurrence.

Materials/methods: A retrospective review of treatment records of patients who received 19 Gy single fraction of HDR BT was carried out.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Purpose: Whole pelvis radiation therapy (WPRT) may improve clinical outcomes over prostate-only radiation therapy (PORT) in high-risk prostate cancer patients by sterilization of micrometastatic nodal disease, provided there is optimal control of the primary site.

Methods And Materials: A prospective multicenter cohort study of eligible patients (stage ≥T2c, Gleason score ≥7 or presenting prostate-specific antigen ≥10) treated between 2009 and 2013 were enrolled in a United Kingdom national protocol delivering combined external beam radiation therapy and high-dose-rate brachytherapy. Centers elected to deliver WPRT, 46 Gy in 23 fractions or PORT 37.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Purpose: To investigate angiogenic and hypoxia biomarkers to predict outcome in patients receiving external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) alone or combined with high-dose-rate brachytherapy boost (HDR-BTb) for localised prostate cancer.

Methods: Prostate biopsy samples were collected prospectively in patients entered into a phase 3 randomised controlled trial of patients receiving EBRT or EBRT + HDR-BTb. Univariate and multivariate analyses using Cox proportional hazards model were performed to identify associations between immunohistochemical staining of hypoxia inducible factor 1 alpha (HIF1α), glucose transporter 1 (GLUT1), osteopontin (OPN) and microvessel density (MVD) using CD-34 antibody with clinical outcome.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Based on previous findings, we hypothesised that radiotherapy to the prostate would improve overall survival in men with metastatic prostate cancer, and that the benefit would be greatest in patients with a low metastatic burden. We aimed to compare standard of care for metastatic prostate cancer, with and without radiotherapy.

Methods: We did a randomised controlled phase 3 trial at 117 hospitals in Switzerland and the UK.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Bone is the most common site of metastatic disease in advanced prostate cancer. Radium-223 (Ra) is a calcium-mimetic alpha-particle emitter, which has been shown to have activity in prostate cancer with clinical benefit in patients with symptomatic bone metastasis. The recommended schedule is six cycles of Ra, 5 kBq/kg, at 4-weekly intervals.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: Application of whole body diffusion-weighted MRI (WB-DWI) for oncology are rapidly increasing within both research and routine clinical domains. However, WB-DWI as a quantitative imaging biomarker (QIB) has significantly slower adoption. To date, challenges relating to accuracy and reproducibility, essential criteria for a good QIB, have limited widespread clinical translation.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Single-dose high-dose-rate brachytherapy (HDR-BT), in a Phase-II study, was compared to two or three fractions in intermediate and high-risk localized prostate cancer.

Patients And Methods: 293 patients received 1×19Gy or 1×20Gy (A=49), 2×13Gy (B=138), or 3×10.5Gy (C=106) and assessed with prospective measures of serum PSA, late genitourinary (GU) and gastrointestinal (GI) morbidity using RTOG scales and the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: To survey the technology and practice of image-guided radiotherapy (IGRT) for prostate cancer in the UK.

Methods: A pre-tested semi-structured online questionnaire was sent to National Health Service (NHS) and private radiotherapy providers in the UK between March and April 2014. The survey was carried out on the Opinio online platform.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background And Purpose: This study assesses the effect of frequency of cone beam CT (CBCT) verification imaging on dose-volume parameters during image-guided radiotherapy (IGRT) for prostate cancer. It also investigates the dosimetric impact of reducing the planning target volume (PTV) margin, when daily imaging is used.

Material And Methods: 844 CBCT images from 20 patients undergoing radical prostate radiotherapy were included.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The role of positron emission tomography (PET) with (68)Gallium (Ga)-labeled prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) imaging for prostate cancer is gaining prominence. Current imaging strategies, despite having progressed significantly, have limitations, in particular their ability to diagnose metastatic lymph node involvement. Preliminary results of PET with (68)Ga-labeled PSMA have shown encouraging results, particularly in the recurrent prostate cancer setting.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background And Purpose: To evaluate dosimetric parameters related to urethral strictures following high dose-rate brachytherapy (HDRBT) alone for prostate cancer.

Material And Methods: Ten strictures were identified in 213 patients treated with HDRBT alone receiving 34Gy in four fractions, 36Gy in four fractions, 31.5Gy in 3 fractions or 26Gy in 2 fractions.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Focal therapy as a treatment option for localized prostate cancer (PCa) is an increasingly popular and rapidly evolving field.

Objective: To gather expert opinion on patient selection, interventions, and meaningful outcome measures for focal therapy in clinical practice and trial design.

Design, Setting, And Participants: Fifteen experts in focal therapy followed a modified two-stage RAND/University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Appropriateness Methodology process.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Purpose: To investigate the optimal distribution of sources using high dose rate brachytherapy to deliver a focal boost to a dominant lesion within the whole prostate gland based on multi-parametric magnetic resonance imaging (mpMRI).

Methods: Sixteen patients with prostate cancer underwent mpMRI each of which demonstrated a dominant lesion. There were single lesions in 6 patients, two lesions in 4 and 3 lesions in 6 patients.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: To evaluate late urinary (GU) and gastrointestinal (GI) adverse events (AEs) and biochemical control of disease after high-dose rate brachytherapy (HDR-BT) in locally advanced prostate cancer.

Patients And Methods: 227 consecutive patients were treated with 3 × 10.5 Gy (n = 109) or 2 × 13 Gy (n = 118) HDR-BT alone.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: To evaluate early urinary (GU) and gastrointestinal (GI) adverse events (AEs) after two or one fraction of high-dose rate brachytherapy (HDR-BT) in advanced prostate cancer.

Patients And Methods: 165 patients were treated with 2 × 13 Gy (n=115), or a single dose of 19 Gy (n=24) or 20 Gy (n=26) HDR-BT. Early AEs were assessed using the RTOG scoring system and the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: To determine whether late genitourinary toxicity, biochemical control of prostate cancer, and dosimetric parameters in patients with large prostate glands is different from those variables in men with smaller glands after treatment with high-dose-rate brachytherapy alone (HDR-BT).

Methods: From November 2003 to July 2009, 164 patients with locally advanced prostate carcinoma were sequentially enrolled and treated with 34 or 36 Gy in 4 fractions and 31.5 Gy in 3 fractions of (192)Ir HDR-BT alone.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Prostate cancer hypoxia is associated with inferior prognosis and resistance to treatment. The use of androgen deprivation therapy, both prior to and during radiotherapy, may exacerbate underlying hypoxia. Whilst larger radiation doses per fraction may achieve therapeutic gain, this is balanced by the reduced opportunity for re-oxygenation to take place during the course of treatment.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Purpose: The antivascular effects of androgen deprivation have been investigated in animal models; however, there has been minimal investigation in human prostate cancer. This study tested the hypothesis that androgen deprivation causes significant reductions in human prostate tumor blood flow and the induction of hypoxia at a magnitude and in a time scale relevant to the neoadjuvant setting before radiotherapy.

Methods And Materials: Twenty patients were examined, each with five multi-parameter magnetic resonance imaging scans: two scans before the commencement of androgen suppression, one scan after 1 month of hormone treatment, and two further scans after 3 months of therapy.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF