The ability to deliver three-dimensional conformal radiation therapy with no risk of side effects

The ability to remove all uncertainty related to patient setup

Three-dimensional conformal technique and image guidance for radioactive source placement in the prostate gland

The ability to cure all patients with prostate cancer

The ability to identify who has clinically significant prostate cancer

Patient’s age, performance status, height, and weight

Biopsy Gleason score, prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level, percentage of prostate biopsies, and clinical stage

Biopsy Gleason score, PSA level, clinical stage, and height

Biopsy Gleason score, age, weight, and height

Biopsy Gleason score, age, height, and weight

not an important predictor of PSA failure-free survival after external beam radiation therapy.

equal to the PSA value divided by the biopsy Gleason score.

equal to the number of cores sampled divided by 100.

not an important predictor of prostate cancer–specific mortality after external beam radiation therapy in low-risk patients.

able to identify the patients at higher risk of prostate cancer–specific mortality despite having low-risk disease.

(c) Local control is associated with a longer time to PSA nadir and lower nadir.

b and c

a and b

(a) It is an unimportant end point because it does not predict for survival.

(b) Local control improves with higher radiation doses.

It may be associated with a positive biopsy showing treatment effect.

The patient may be asymptomatic.

All of the above

It is seen in 25% to 30% of prostate brachytherapy cases using permanent seed implant monotherapy.

It may occur anytime between 8 and 30 months after implant.

Patient’s age, performance status, and weight

PSA value, biopsy Gleason score, and clinical T stage

Biopsy Gleason score, age, and weight

PSA value, biopsy Gleason score, and age

Patient’s age, PSA level, and weight

Less than 0.5 ng/mL

Undetectable

Stable and not rising

None of the above

Normal

Both a and b

Tell the patient that radiation therapy has not worked and discuss salvage prostatectomy and cryosurgery.

None of the above

Tell the patient that the PSA value is still normal and not to worry.

Tell the patient that he likely has a recurrence and that rising PSA may indicate a distant component to the failure.

Patients who are cured may take 24 to 30 months to reach a nadir.

Patients showing distant failure reach a nadir later.

A nadir greater than 0.5 ng/mL means that treatment has failed.

None of the above

An early nadir is good.

12 months

30 months

6 months

18 months

None of the above

It is an unimportant end point because it does not predict for survival.

It is equal for all types of radiation treatment.

None of the above

It is associated with treatment technique and dose of radiation.

It is lower in patients with early disease because they receive lower doses of radiation.

It is unassociated with improved outcomes in prostate cancer patients.

It is more accurate than conventional radiation.

It is a form of particle therapy.

It is available in almost all radiation centers.

None of the above

None of the above

They are identifiable in the majority of treated patients.

They are related to treatment technique, type of radiation used, and total dose given.

They are lower with particle beam therapy.

They are higher with dose escalation protocols.

70 Gy

66 Gy

60 Gy

Greater than 75 Gy

None of the above

None of the above

patients with favorable tumors (T1 or T2, Gleason score of <7) and PSA levels greater than 20.

patients with unfavorable tumors (T2b or T3, Gleason score of ≥7) and PSA levels greater than 4.

patients with favorable tumors (T1 or T2, Gleason score of <7) and PSA levels less than 10.

patients with unfavorable tumors (T2b or T3, Gleason score of >7) and PSA levels less than 10.