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- Ahlberg, Mats Steinholtz, et al.
(författare)
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PCASTt/SPCG-17-A randomised trial of active surveillance in prostate cancer: Rationale and design
- 2019
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Ingår i: BMJ Open. - : BMJ. - 2044-6055. ; 9
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Introduction Overtreatment of localised prostate cancer is substantial despite increased use of active surveillance. No randomised trials help define how to monitor patients or when to initiate treatment with curative intent. Methods and analysis A randomised, multicentre, intervention trial designed to evaluate the safety of an MRI-based active surveillance protocol, with standardised triggers for repeated biopsies and radical treatment. The aim is to reduce overtreatment of prostate cancer. 2000 men will be randomly allocated to either surveillance according to current practice or to standardised triggers at centres in Sweden, Norway, Finland and the UK. Men diagnosed in the past 12 months with prostate cancer, ≤T2a, prostate-specific antigen (PSA) <15 ng/mL, PSA density ≤0.2 ng/mL/cc, any International Society of Urological Pathology (ISUP) grade 1 are eligible. Men with ISUP grade 2 in <30% of cores on systematic biopsy and <10 mm cancer in one core on systematic or targeted biopsy are also eligible. Men diagnosed on systematic biopsy should have an MRI and targeted biopsies against Prostate Imaging and Reporting Data System V.2 3-5 lesions before inclusion. Identical follow-up in the two study arms: biannual PSA testing, yearly clinical examination and MRI every second year. In the experimental arm, standardised triggers based on MRI and PSA density elicit repeated biopsies. MRI and histopathological progression trigger radical treatment. Primary outcome measure is progression-free survival. Secondary outcome measures are cumulative incidence of metastatic disease, treatments with curative intent, pT3-4 at radical prostatectomy, switch to watchful waiting, prostate cancer mortality and quality of life. Inclusion started in October 2016 and in October 2018; 275 patients have been enrolled. Ethics and dissemination Ethical approval was obtained in each participating country. Results for the primary and secondary outcome measures will be submitted for publication in peer-reviewed journals. Trial registration number NCT02914873.
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| 2. |
- Ahlberg, Mats Steinholtz, 1979-
(författare)
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Surveillance and follow-up of early prostate cancer
- 2024
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Active surveillance (AS) for prostate cancer was introduced to address overtreatment resulting from prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing. Despite advancements such as Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and targeted biopsies, PSA remains crucial in prostate cancer diagnostics, leading to ongoing challenges of overdiagnosis and overtreatment. This thesis aimed to investigate different aspects of AS and follow-up of early prostate cancer and provide new insights to reduce overtreatment and enhance surveillance and follow-up. In Paper I, the rationale and methodology of a randomized controlled trial, the Prostate Cancer Active Surveillance Trigger trial/Scandinavian Prostate Cancer Group study no. 17 (PCASTt/SPCG17), were outlined. This trial's objective is to evaluate the safety of an AS protocol based on MRI and standardized triggers for repeat biopsies and transition to radical treatment. Patient recruitment is anticipated to conclude in 2024. Paper II investigated the risks of biochemical recurrence, metastatic disease, and prostate cancer-related death in patients following radical prostatectomy. The analysis was conditioned on time after radical prostatectomy without biochemical recurrence. For patients with favourable histopathology in prostatectomy specimens and no biochemical recurrence five years post-prostatectomy, the probability of developing metastatic disease or dying from prostate cancer within 20 years after surgery was very low. This suggests shorter follow-up for selected patients. Paper III compared outcomes of AS for men from different healthcare regions in Sweden with varying traditions of AS. Regions with lower uptake in AS demonstrated a higher probability of transitioning from AS to radical treatment, but no difference in AS failure. The results suggest overtreatment in regions with low uptake in AS. Paper IV explored the associations between potential triggers for transitioning from AS to radical treatment and the transition to treatment. We analysed how this association changed with the introduction of prostate MRI. We found an increasingly strong association between triggers, particularly histopathological progression, and transition. However, most treated men had not experienced histopathological progression. The introduction of MRI did not contribute much to the change. In conclusion, this thesis outlines an ongoing study on defined triggers for transitioning from AS to radical treatment, suggests shorter follow-up after radical prostatectomy for selected patients, reveals overtreatment in regions with low uptake in AS, and shows an increasing use of histopathological progression as a trigger for transition to radical treatment.
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| 3. |
- Ahlberg, Mats Steinholtz, et al.
(författare)
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Time without PSA recurrence after radical prostatectomy as a predictor of future biochemical recurrence, metastatic disease and prostate cancer death : a prospective Scandinavian cohort study
- 2022
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Ingår i: BMJ Open. - : BMJ Publishing Group Ltd. - 2044-6055. ; 12:12
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objective: Although surveillance after radical prostatectomy routinely includes repeated prostate specific antigen (PSA)-testing for many years, biochemical recurrence often occurs without further clinical progression. We therefore hypothesised that follow-up can be shortened for many patients without increasing the risk of prostate cancer death. We investigated the long-term probabilities of PSA recurrence, metastases and prostate cancer death in patients without biochemical recurrence five and 10 years after radical prostatectomy.Design: Prospective cohort study. Stratification by Gleason score (<= 3+4=7or >= 4+3=7), pathological tumour stage (pT2 or >= pT3) and negative or positive surgical margins.Setting: Between 1989 and 1998, 14 urological centres in Scandinavia randomised patients to the Scandinavian Prostate Cancer Group study number 4 (SPCG-4) trial.ParticipationAll 306 patients from the SPCG-4 trial who underwent radical prostatectomy within 1year from inclusion were eligible. Four patients were excluded due to surgery-related death (n=1) or salvage radiotherapy or hormonal treatment within 6weeks from surgery (n=3).Primary outcome measures: Cumulative incidences and absolute differences in metastatic disease and prostate cancer death.Results: We analysed 302 patients with complete follow-up during a median of 24 years. Median preoperative PSA was 9.8ng/mL and median age was 65 years. For patients without biochemical recurrence 5 years after radical prostatectomy the 20-year probability of biochemical recurrence was 25% among men with Gleason score <= 3+4=7and 57% among men with Gleason score >= 4+3=7; the probabilities for metastases were 0.8% and 17%; and for prostate cancer death 0.8% and 12%, respectively. The long-term probabilities were higher for pT >= 3versus pT2 and for positive versus negative surgical margins. Limitations include small size of the cohort.Conclusion: Many patients with favourable histopathology without biochemical recurrence 5years after radical prostatectomy could stop follow-up earlier than 10 years after radical prostatectomy.
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| 4. |
- Ahlberg, Mats Steinholtz, 1979-
(författare)
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Triggers for transition from active surveillance to radical treatment of prostate cancer 2008-2020 – a case control study
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Annan publikation (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Background: What should trigger transition from active surveillance (AS) to radical treatment for prostate cancer (PC) remains an unanswered question. Objective:To examine the association between potential triggers and transition from AS to radical treatment.Design, Setting and Participants:Swedish register-based case-control study including men in the National Prostate Cancer Register in Sweden with low- or favorable intermediate-risk PC, starting AS from Jan 1st, 2008, to Dec 31st, 2020.Interventions: Triggers are: histopathological progression, MRI progression without histopathological progression, and only PSA progression.Outcomes measurements and statistical analysis: Probability of experiencing a trigger one year preceding treatment. Odds ratios (OR) of histopathological progression, MRI progression without histopathological progression, or only PSA progression, for transition to radical treatment, analyzed by logistic regression.Results and limitations: The study base included 846 patients, 99 cases 2008-2014, and 172 cases 2015-2020. For every case, 10 controls were chosen. Histopathological progression was strongly associated with transition to radical treatment (OR 2008-2014: 6.89, 95% confidence interval (CI) 3.78-12.56; 2015-2020: 65.03, 95% CI 35.11-120.44). MRI progression was associated with treatment 2015-2020 (adjusted OR 4.01, 95% CI 1.72-9.36) but PSA progression was not associated with treatment in any adjusted analyses. Absence of any progression was strongly associated with reduced probability of transition to treatment (adjusted OR 2008-2014: 0.24, 95% CI 0.15-0.39, adjusted OR 2015-2020: 0.08, 95% CI 0.05-0.12) but the probability of treated men not having experienced any trigger was still 27% 2015-2020. Limitations include small study-base.Conclusion: Histopathological progression during AS was increasingly strongly associated with transition to treatment but the probability of not having experienced any trigger before treatment was 27%.Patient summary: Reliance on objective signs of progression before discontinuing AS increase, but still about a quarter of treated men have not experienced progression.
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| 5. |
- Ahlberg, Mats Steinholtz, et al.
(författare)
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Variations in the Uptake of Active Surveillance for Prostate Cancer and Its Impact on Outcomes
- 2023
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Ingår i: European Urology Open Science. - : Elsevier BV. - 2666-1691 .- 2666-1683. ; 52, s. 166-173
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Regional differences in active surveillance (AS) uptake for prostate cancer (PC) illustrate an inequality in treatment strategies.Objective: To examine the association between regional differences in AS uptake and transition to radical treatment, start of androgen deprivation therapy (ADT), watchful waiting, or death.Design, setting, and participants: A Swedish population-based cohort study was con-ducted including men in the National Prostate Cancer Register in Sweden with low -risk or favorable intermediate-risk PC, starting AS from January 1, 2007 and continuing till December 31, 2019.Intervention: Regional tradition of low, intermediate, or high proportions of immediate radical treatment. Outcomes measurements and statistical analysis:Probabilities of transition from AS to radical treatment, start of ADT, watchful waiting, or death from other causes were assessed.Results and limitations: We included 13 679 men. The median age was 66 yr, median PSA 5.1 ng/ml, and median follow-up 5.7 yr. Men from regions with a high AS uptake had a lower probability of transition to radical treatment (36%) than men from regions with a low AS uptake (40%; absolute difference 4.1%; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.0-7.2), but not a higher probability of AS failure defined as the start of ADT (absolute difference 0.4%; 95% CI -0.7 to 1.4). There were no statistically significant differences in the probability of transition to watchful waiting or death from other causes. Limitations include uncertainty in the estimation of remaining lifetime and transition to watchful waiting.Conclusions:A regional tradition of a high AS uptake is associated with a lower probability of transition to radical treatment, but not with AS failure. A low AS uptake suggests overtreatment.
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