Although less common than bone metastases in prostate cancer, the presence of visceral (soft tissue) metastases is adversely prognostic in men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). The prognostic outlook regarding the specific location of the visceral metastasis is unclear.
In the TAX 327 phase III trial, men receiving docetaxel or mitoxantrone every 3 weeks or weekly with prednisone, were analyzed retrospectively to study the impact of the specific site of visceral metastasis on overall survival (OS).
The men were assessed for OS based on the site of metastases: liver with or without other sites, lung with or without bone or lymph nodes, bone plus lymph nodes, bone only, and lymph nodes only. Men with liver metastases with or without other metastases had shorter median OS (10.0 month; 95% confidence interval) than men with lung metastases, with or without bone or nodal metastases (median OS: 14.4 month; 95% confidence interval).
Men with lymph node-only disease had the best median OS (26.7 month; 95% confidence interval), followed by men with bone-only metastases (median OS: 19.0 month; 95% confidence interval) and bone-plus-node disease (median OS: 15.7 month; 95% confidence interval). (The Prognostic Importance of Metastatic Site in Men with Metastatic Castration-resistant Prostate Cancer, Pond, Sonpavde,Wit,Eisenberger,Tannock and Armstrong; Published Online PII: S0302-2838(13)01011-7 DOI: 10.1016/j.eururo.2013.09.024)