Evidence map›Paper›PMID 31611160›Full record

ArticleBrachytherapy

Racial differences in the PSA bounce in predicting prostate cancer outcomes after brachytherapy: Evidence from the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Alexander N Slade, Bassam Dahman, Michael G Chang

Open access · bronzeAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Brachytherapy. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
0.9field-weighted citation impact, top 23% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

7 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 9 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Trial
  3. Article
  4. PSA bounce: understanding temporal fluctuations in prostate cancer after external radiotherapy.Clinical & translational oncology : official publication of the Federation of Spanish Oncology Societies and of the National Cancer Institute of Mexico · 2025
    Article
  5. Prognostic value of PSA bounce after definitive radiotherapy revisited.International journal of clinical oncology · 2022
    Article
  6. Biochemical failure and toxicity in treatment with brachytherapy and external beam radiotherapy compared with radical prostatectomy in localized prostate cancer.Reports of practical oncology and radiotherapy : journal of Greatpoland Cancer Center in Poznan and Polish Society of Radiation Oncology · 2022
    Article
  7. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.

Alexander N SladeDepartment of Radiation Oncology, Virginia Commonwealth University Health System, Massey Cancer Center, Richmond, VA. Electronic address: alexander.n.slade@vcuhealth.org.
Bassam DahmanDepartment of Health Behavior and Policy, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA.
Michael G ChangDepartment of Radiation Oncology, Virginia Commonwealth University Health System, Massey Cancer Center, Richmond, VA; Department of Radiation Oncology, Hunter Holmes McGuire VA Medical Center, Richmond VA.
Hunter Holmes McGuire VA Medical Center · USUniversity Health System · USVirginia Commonwealth University · US

Funding

Virus Vector Shared ResourceP30CA016059 · NCI · VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH UNIVERSITY · PI Keri R Maher · 1985 to 2026
$51.0M
NCI NIH HHS P30 CA016059
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeAfrican American men have historically had poorer prostate cancer biochemical and survival outcomes than Caucasians. However, emerging data suggest nononcologic factors drive much of this disparity. Prior evidence has suggested an association between a transient prostate specific antigen (PSA) bounce and improved biochemical control. However, racial differences in this relationship have remained relatively unexplored. METHODS AND MATERIALS: We identified 4477 men treated for low- or intermediate-risk prostate cancer within the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) from 2000 to 2010 with brachytherapy alone or in combination with external beam radiotherapy without androgen deprivation. Longitudinal PSA data were used to define to biochemical failure and PSA bounce. Cox proportional hazard models were used explore racial differences in the relationship between the PSA bounce and time to biochemical failure.

resultsThirty-one percent of our sample experienced a PSA bounce, with African Americans more likely to experience a bounce (42%) compared with Caucasians (29%); p < 0.001. Despite this, African Americans had a higher likelihood of biochemical failure (hazard ratio [HR] 1.4; p = 0.006). However, African American men experiencing a PSA bounce were less likely to experience a biochemical failure (HR = 0.64; p = 0.046), whereas this relationship was not statistically significant for Caucasians (HR = 0.78; p = 0.092). On multivariate analysis, African Americans receiving brachytherapy alone were most sensitive to the protective benefit of the PSA bounce (HR = 0.64).

conclusionsA PSA bounce was associated with improved biochemical control among patients receiving brachytherapy as part of their treatment for low- or intermediate-risk prostate cancer at the VA. African American men treated with brachytherapy had a particularly pronounced biochemical control benefit of a PSA bounce.

Indexed as

Black or African AmericanBrachytherapyWhite PeopleAgedHumansKallikreinsMaleMiddle AgedPredictive Value of TestsProportional Hazards ModelsProstate-Specific AntigenProstatic NeoplasmsTreatment OutcomeUnited StatesUnited States Department of Veterans AffairsKallikreinsKLK3 protein, humanProstate-Specific AntigenBiochemical failureProstate brachytherapyPSA bounceRacial disparitiesVeterans affairs

Identifiers

PMID31611160
PMCPMC7951330
OpenAlexW2980223381

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceTDM
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.