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Introduction: Prostate specific membrane antigen (PSMA) directed radioligand therapy (RLT) is a novel therapy for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) patients. However, it is still poorly understood why approximately 40% of the patients does not respond to PSMA-RLT. The aims of this study were to evaluate the pretreatment PSMA expression on immunohistochemistry (IHC) and PSMA uptake on PET/CT imaging in mCRPC patients who underwent PSMA-RLT. We correlated these parameters and a cell proliferation marker (Ki67) to the therapeutic efficacy of PSMA-RLT., Patients and Methods: In this retrospective study, mCRPC patients who underwent PSMA-RLT were analyzed. Patients biopsies were scored for immunohistochemical Ki67 expression, PSMA staining intensity and percentage of cells with PSMA expression. Moreover, the PSMA tracer uptake of the tumor lesion(s) and healthy organs on PET/CT imaging was assessed. The primary outcome was to evaluate the association between histological PSMA protein expression of tumor in pre-PSMA-RLT biopsies and the PSMA uptake on PSMA PET/CT imaging of the biopsied lesion. Secondary outcomes were to assess the relationship between PSMA expression and Ki67 on IHC and the progression free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) following PSMA-RLT., Results: In total, 22 mCRPC patients were included in this study. Nineteen (86%) patients showed a high and homogenous PSMA expression of >80% on IHC. Three (14%) patients had low PSMA expression on IHC. Although there was limited PSMA uptake on PET/CT imaging, these 3 patients had lower PSMA uptake on PET/CT imaging compared to the patients with high PSMA expression on IHC. Yet, no correlation was found between PSMA uptake on PET/CT imaging and PSMA expression on IHC (SUVmax: R 2  = 0.046 and SUVavg: R 2  = 0.036). The 3 patients had a shorter PFS compared to the patients with high PSMA expression on IHC (HR: 4.76, 95% CI: 1.14-19.99; P = .033). Patients with low Ki67 expression had a longer PFS and OS compared to patients with a high Ki67 expression (HR: 0.40, 95% CI: 0.15-1.06; P = .013) CONCLUSION: The PSMA uptake on PSMA-PET/CT generally followed the PSMA expression on IHC. However, heterogeneity may be missed on PSMA-PET/CT. Immunohistochemical PSMA and Ki67 expression in fresh tumor biopsies, may contribute to predict treatment efficacy of PSMA-RLT in mCRPC patients. This needs to be further explored in prospective cohorts., Competing Interests: Disclosure The authors have declared that no competing interest exists., (Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Radium-223 is a registered treatment option for symptomatic bone metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). Aim of this multicenter, prospective observational cohort study was to evaluate health-related quality of life (HR-QoL), psychological distress and fatigue in mCRPC patients treated with radium-223., Methods: Primary endpoint was cancer-specific and bone metastases-related HR-QoL, as measured by the EORTC QLQ-C30 and BM-22 questionnaires. Secondary endpoints were psychological distress and fatigue, evaluated by the HADS and CIS-Fatigue questionnaires. Outcomes were analyzed for the total cohort and between subgroups (1-3 versus 4-5 versus 6 radium-223 injections). A trajectory analysis was performed to explore HR-QoL patterns over time., Results: In total, 122 patients were included for analysis. Baseline HR-QoL, pain intensity, psychological distress and fatigue were worse in patients who did not complete radium-223 therapy. In patients who completed therapy, stabilization of HR-QoL was perceived and psychological distress and fatigue remained stable, whereas clinically meaningful and statistically significant deterioration of HR-QoL, psychological distress and fatigue over time was observed in patients who discontinued radium-223 therapy. Trajectory analysis revealed that HR-QoL deterioration over time was more likely in patients with baseline opioid use, low hemoglobin and high alkaline phosphatase levels., Conclusions: Patients who discontinued radium-223 therapy showed worse HR-QoL, psychological distress and fatigue at baseline and more frequent deterioration of HR-QoL, psychological distress and fatigue over time when compared to patients who completed therapy. Specific attention with regard to HR-QoL during follow-up is indicated in patients with opioid use, low hemoglobin and high alkaline phosphatase levels before radium-223 therapy initiation., Clinical Trial Registration Number: NCT04995614., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Purpose: Prostate-specific membrane antigen radioligand therapy (PSMA-RLT) is a novel treatment for castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). While the majority of patients responds to PSMA-RLT, with 10-15% having an exceptional response, approximately 30% of patients is unresponsive to PSMA-RLT. The molecular underpinning may in part explain these varying responses. This study investigated alterations in DNA damage repair (DDR) genes in tumour biopsies and their association with response to PSMA-RLT., Methods: A predefined retrospective cohort study was performed in mCRPC patients of whom the tumours had undergone next-generation sequencing of 40 DDR genes and received Lu-177-PSMA and/or Ac-225-PSMA-RLT. The primary outcome of this study was to compare the progression free survival (PFS) after PSMA-RLT for patients with and without pathogenic DDR aberrations in their tumour. Secondary outcomes were prostate-specific antigen (PSA) response and overall survival (OS)., Results: A total of 40 patients were included of which seventeen had a tumour with a pathogenic DDR aberration (DDR+), of which eight had defects in BRCA1/2. DDR+ patients had an equal varying response to PSMA-RLT compared to those without pathological DDR anomalies (DDR-) in terms of PFS (5.9 vs. 6.4 months, respectively; HR 1.14; 95% CI 0.58-2.25; p = 0.71), ≥50% PSA response (59% vs. 65%, respectively; p = 0.75) or OS (11.1 vs. 10.7 months, respectively; HR 1.40; 95% CI: 0.68-2.91; p = 0.36)., Conclusion: In this study of a selected cohort, pathogenic DDR aberrations were not associated with exceptional responsiveness to PSMA-RLT. Translational studies in larger prospective cohorts are warranted to associate DDR gene defects with differential responses to PSMA-RLT., (© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Limited.)

Introduction: Targeted alpha-radiation therapy (TAT) with 225 Ac-labeled prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) ligands is a promising novel treatment option for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) patients. However, limited data are available on efficacy, quality of life (QoL), and pretherapeutic biomarkers. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of 225 Ac-PSMA TAT and impact on QoL in advanced mCRPC, and to explore predictive biomarkers on pretherapeutic metastatic tissue biopsies., Methods: Observational cohort study including consecutive patients treated with 225 Ac-PSMA TAT between February 2016 and July 2018. Primary endpoint was overall survival (OS). Furthermore, prostate-specific antigen (PSA) changes, radiological response, safety, QoL, and xerostomia were evaluated. Biopsies were analyzed with immunohistochemistry and next-generation sequencing., Results: Thirteen patients were included. Median OS was 8.5 months for the total cohort and 12.6 months for PSMA radioligand therapy-naïve patients. PSA declines of ≥90% and ≥50% were observed in 46% and 69% of patients, respectively. Six patients were radiologically evaluable; 50% showed partial response. All patients showed >90% total tumor volume reduction on PET imaging. Patients experienced clinically relevant decrease of pain and QoL improvement in physical and role functioning domains. Xerostomia persisted during follow-up. Patients with high baseline immunohistochemical PSMA expression or DNA damage repair alterations tended to have longer OS., Conclusions: TAT with 225 Ac-PSMA resulted in remarkable survival and biochemical responses in advanced mCRPC patients. Patients experienced clinically relevant QoL improvement, although xerostomia was found to be nontransient. Baseline immunohistochemical PSMA expression and DNA damage repair status are potential predictive biomarkers of response to 225 Ac-PSMA TAT., (Copyright © 2020 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: [ 177 Lu]Lu-PSMA-617 radioligand therapy ( 177 Lu-PSMA) is a novel treatment for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC), which could also be applied to patients with metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer (mHSPC) with PSMA expression. In this prospective study (NCT03828838), we analyzed toxicity, radiation doses, and treatment effect of 177 Lu-PSMA in pateints with low-volume mHSPC., Patients and Methods: Ten progressive patients with mHSPC following local treatment, with a maximum of ten metastatic lesions on [ 68 Ga]Ga-PSMA-11 PET/diagnostic-CT imaging (PSMA-PET) and serum PSA doubling time <6 months received two cycles of 177 Lu-PSMA. Whole-body single-photon emission CT/CT (SPECT/CT) and blood dosimetry was performed to calculate doses to the tumors and organs at risk (OAR). Adverse events (AE), laboratory values (monitoring response and toxicity), and quality of life were monitored until week 24 after cycle 2, the end of study (EOS). All patients underwent PSMA-PET at screening, 8 weeks after cycle 1, 12 weeks after cycle 2, and at EOS., Results: All patients received two cycles of 177 Lu-PSMA without complications. No treatment-related grade III-IV adverse events were observed. According to dosimetry, none of the OAR reached threshold doses for radiation-related toxicity. Moreover, all target lesions received a higher radiation dose than the OAR. All 10 patients showed altered PSA kinetics, postponed androgen deprivation therapy, and maintained good quality of life. Half of the patients showed a PSA response of more than 50%. One patient had a complete response on PSMA-PET imaging until EOS and two others had only minimal residual disease., Conclusions: 177 Lu-PSMA appeared to be a feasible and safe treatment modality in patients with low-volume mHSPC., (©2021 American Association for Cancer Research.)

Background: In recent years, there is increasing evidence showing a beneficial outcome (e.g. progression free survival; PFS) after metastases-directed therapy (MDT) with external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) or targeted surgery for oligometastatic hormone sensitive prostate cancer (oHSPC). However, many patients do not qualify for these treatments due to prior interventions or tumor location. Such oligometastatic patients could benefit from radioligand therapy (RLT) with 177 Lu-PSMA; a novel tumor targeting therapy for end-stage metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). Especially because RLT could be more effective in low volume disease, such as the oligometastatic status, due to high uptake of radioligands in smaller lesions. To test the hypothesis that 177 Lu-PSMA is an effective treatment in oHSPC to prolong PFS and postpone the need for androgen deprivation therapy (ADT), we initiated a multicenter randomized clinical trial. This is globally, the first prospective study using 177 Lu-PSMA-I&T in a randomized multicenter setting., Methods & Design: This study compares 177 Lu-PSMA-I&T MDT to the current standard of care (SOC); deferred ADT. Fifty-eight patients with oHSPC (≤5 metastases on PSMA PET) and high PSMA uptake (SUVmax > 15, partial volume corrected) on 18 F-PSMA PET after prior surgery and/or EBRT and a PSA doubling time of < 6 months, will be randomized in a 1:1 ratio. The patients randomized to the interventional arm will be eligible for two cycles of 7.4GBq 177 Lu-PSMA-I&T at a 6-week interval. After both cycles, patients are monitored every 3 weeks (including adverse events, QoL- and xerostomia questionnaires and laboratory testing) at the outpatient clinic. Twenty-four weeks after cycle two an end of study evaluation is planned together with another 18 F-PSMA PET and (whole body) MRI. Patients in the SOC arm are eligible to receive 177 Lu-PSMA-I&T after meeting the primary study objective, which is the fraction of patients who show disease progression during the study follow up. A second primary objective is the time to disease progression. Disease progression is defined as a 100% increase in PSA from baseline or clinical progression., Discussion: This is the first prospective randomized clinical study assessing the therapeutic efficacy and toxicity of 177 Lu-PSMA-I&T for patients with oHSPC., Trial Registration: Clinicaltrials.gov identifier: NCT04443062 .

Radium-223 therapy was registered in 2013 as a new life-prolonging therapeutic option for patients with symptomatic bone metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer after the phase 3 ALSYMPCA study. Postregistration reports on the use of radium-223 in real-world populations demonstrate that appropriate selection of patients for radium-223 therapy is challenging. While primarily retrospective and post hoc studies identified prognostic variables associated with overall survival, validated predictive biomarkers are still lacking. Important pretherapeutic prognostic variables include the number of prior therapies, baseline Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status, baseline extent of bone metastatic disease, and baseline alkaline phosphatase, prostate-specific antigen, and lactate dehydrogenase levels. We reviewed the currently available literature to provide recommendations on patient selection for radium-223 therapy in patients with bone metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer. In addition, the recent evidence from the report of the European Medicines Agency's Pharmacovigilance Risk Assessment Committee regarding the restricted use of radium-223 after interim data analysis of the ERA-223 trial has been incorporated into our recommendations. Future perspectives are also discussed, including radium-223 re-treatment, the use of concomitant therapies, and the implementation of pretherapeutic molecular analysis for treatment stratification., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: To identify pre-therapeutic variables associated with overall survival (OS) in patients treated with Ra., Methods: Data from 45 CRPC patients treated with Ra were retrospectively analyzed. All patients who received at least one Ra injection were included in the study. Cox proportional hazard regression models were used to estimate hazard ratio's (HR) and to test for association., Results: Twenty-one patients (47%) received six Ra injections and 24 patients (53%) received one to five Ra injections. Median OS since start of Ra was 13.0 months (95% confidence interval (CI) 8.2-17.8). Patients who completed Ra therapy had a median OS of 19.7 months (95% CI 14.9-24.6), while patients who received one to five Ra injections had a median OS of 5.9 months (95% CI 3.8-8.1; P < 0.001).Univariable analysis showed poor baseline ECOG performance status (PS), baseline opioid use, lowered baseline hemoglobin, and elevated prostate-specific antigen, alkaline phosphatase and lactate dehydrogenase (LD) levels were significantly associated with OS. Multivariable Cox regression analysis demonstrated that poor baseline ECOG PS (HR 10.6) and high LD levels (HR 7.7) were pre-therapeutic variables that predicted poor OS., Conclusions: In a multivariable Cox regression model, good baseline ECOG PS and low LD levels were significantly associated with longer OS in patients treated with Ra. These variables may be used for stratification of CRPC patients for Ra therapy. Prospective studies to evaluate these variables are warranted, to develop a nomogram to select patients properly. In this retrospective study, predictors of overall survival in 45 metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer patients treated with Ra therapy were evaluated. Baseline ECOG performance status and lactate dehydrogenase levels turned out to be significant in a multivariable prediction model for overall survival.