POTENCY FOLLOWING CONFORMAL NEUTRON PHOTON IRRADIATION FOR LOCALIZED PROSTATE-CANCER/

Purpose: To assess the effect of conformal neutron/photon irradiation with or without neoadjuvant hormonal therapy on posttreatment potency. Materials and Methods: Seventy-six patients with localized adenocarci noma of the prostate, Stage T1 or T2 N0 M0, Gleason score less than or equal to 7, were enrolled on a prospective Phase II study, Each patie nt received 9-10 Neutron + 38 Photon Gy, Twenty-eight patients receive d neoadjuvant hormonal therapy in conjunction with radiation therapy, Potency was assessed prior to starting treatment and was assessed at e ach subsequent follow-up visit. Results: Fifty-two of 75 patients (70% ) were potent at the start of therapy, Thirty-eight of 52 (73%) had fu nctional erections and 14 of 52 (27%) had erections termed nonfunction al, which were of insufficient strength for intercourse. After treatme nt, 35 of 52 (67%) retained potency, Twenty-nine of 38 (76%) with func tional erections pretreatment maintained this ability, Only 6 of 14 pa tients (43%) with nonfunctional erection pretreatment maintained their level of potency, Neoadjuvant hormonal therapy did not impact on the ability to maintain erections, Sixty-five percent of those patients re ceiving hormones retained erectile function, while 69% of those who di d not receive hormones maintained erectile function, Age was not a sig nificant factor in posttreatment potency, although a trend towards pot ency in younger patients was observed, (p = 0.74).Conclusion: The majo rity (67%) of patients maintained their level of erectile function fol lowing conformal sequential neutron photon irradiation, This is compar able to that achieved with photon irradiation alone, No significant ch ange in potency was seen with neoadjuvant hormonal therapy or with inc reasing patient age.