Microscopic Review on the Curability and Invasiveness of Heavy Ion Radiotherapy in a Patient with Locally Advanced High-grade Prostate Cancer without Biochemical Recurrence:

The Initial Autopsy Case Report

Abstract

An 85-year-old men with a past history of locally advanced and high Gleason grade (4＋5) prostate cancer died suddenly. The autopsy confirmed that his direct cause of death was suffocation following aspiration pneumonia. He underwent definitive heavy ion radiotherapy in combination with one-year neoadjuvant and 1.5-year adjuvant combination androgen blockade (CAB) between 9 and 7 years before the sudden death and his PSA was stable at 0.04 ng/ml at one year before the death. Pathological findings confirmed that his prostate cancer was completely cured including surrounding tissues outside the prostate and there were no adverse pathological changes due to heavy ion radiation in the rectum and bladder neck. Many clinical studies have already confirmed heavy ion radiation therapy to be an effective and less invasive treatment for localized and locally advanced prostate cancer. This initial case report may further demonstrate both microscopic curability and safety of heavy ion radiation therapy.