Controversies and Perspectives in the Use of Postoperative Radiotherapy for Prostate Cancer

The use of radiotherapy after radical prostatectomy as adjuvant or salvage therapy carries many open questions. Overall, prostate cancer guidelines indicate that physicians should offer adjuvant radiation therapy to patients with adverse pathologic findings at prostatectomy (i.e., seminal vesicle invasion, positive surgical margins, extraprostatic extension) and salvage radiation therapy to patients with prostate-specific antigen (PSA) or local recurrence after prostatectomy in whom there is no evidence of distant metastases. Often the opinions of radiation oncologists and urologists about the indication of postoperative treatment vary widely. Nonetheless, the offer of radiotherapy should be made in the context of a multidisciplinary discussion of potential benefits of the treatment as well as possible side effects. In the era of personalized medicine, novel prognostic and predictive biomarkers are urgently needed for better patients’ stratification and more tailored treatments.

This research topic intends to foster discussions on current controversies in the use of postoperative radiotherapy as well as novel perspectives for treatment optimization. Articles on perioperative strategies (i.e. intraoperative radiotherapy (IORT), preoperative radiotherapy) will be also considered. Authors are encouraged to submit original research articles, perspective, reviews, topical comment and critical appraisals of scientific meetings.