onc brain

About · curated by Nick Boehling, MD · @nb2276

2026-07-22

digest generated 2026-07-23

ProtecT (cribriform 2° analysis): in cribriform-negative pts (87%), radical Rx gave no significant 15yr metastasis cut vs active monitoring; morphology may gate surveillance.
Prostate carried the day. ProtecT's cribriform 2° analysis backs morphology-gated surveillance: cribriform-negative men (87%) got no significant 15yr metastasis benefit from radical surgery or RT+ADT, and their GG2 matched GG1 risk. ESTRO's Delphi consensus separately codifies primary prostate SBRT selection, dose, and contouring where trials still disagree.

Prostate

Two threads: when radical RT/surgery can be safely deferred (ProtecT cribriform), and how to deliver primary SBRT when it is chosen (ESTRO consensus).

ESTRO Prostate SBRT Consensus Recommendations

TL;DR15-expert ESTRO Delphi consensus on optimising primary prostate SBRT: patient selection, contouring, dose/fractionation, follow-up, and delivery technique.

Trials discussed

HYPO-RT-PCPACE-B

Why it mattersRadiation oncology

For a department standardising primary prostate SBRT, this is the implementation reference: an ESTRO Delphi panel settles the controversy points (patient selection, contouring, dose, fractionation, follow-up, delivery technique). Planning is anchored to the PACE-B protocol (Fig 1, isodose 8 to 46 Gy).

4 details 5 trials watching

ESTRO clinical practice consensus, 15-expert panel, Delphi process answering a 10-item questionnaire on areas of controversy. Covers selection, contouring, dose, fractionation, follow-up, and minimal-vs-optimal delivery technique for primary prostate SBRT.

departments initiating or optimising primary prostate SBRT
Does not represent post-prostatectomy salvage, nodal, or metastasis-directed SBRT.

Sourced from Draulans, Cédric et al.

📚 Sources · 📄 1 paper
📄 PAPER Draulans, Cédric; Tree, Alison; Zilli, Thomas et al. · Radiotherapy and Oncology (2026-07)
How to optimise prostate SBRT: ESTRO clinical practice consensus recommendations
Caveats dominate

ProtecT (secondary analysis: cribriform morphology)

ForPSA-screened clinically localized prostate cancer, GG1-2 predominant

TL;DRCribriform-negative pts (87%): radical Rx gave no significant 15yr metastasis reduction vs active monitoring; cribriform-negative GG2 matched GG1 risk.

Reported via UroToday →

Why it mattersRadiation oncology

Selection, not technique, is the RT read: cribriform-negative GG2 matched GG1 on 15yr metastasis risk and gained no significant benefit from radical treatment, so definitive RT is deferrable there. Cribriform-positive (~13%) is where local treatment changed metastasis outcomes, moving the surveillance-vs-treat decision at biopsy.

8 details

Secondary analysis of the ProtecT RCT. Cribriform status was not a randomization characteristic; biopsy slides from 712 of 1,643 randomized pts were centrally reviewed, with centralization still ongoing.

PSA-detected clinically localized prostate cancer. ~13% cribriform-positive on biopsy, 87% cribriform-negative. Gleason re-graded to 2019 ISUP from the original 2005 criteria, which did not change the result.

The radical-treatment options were surgery or EBRT with 3-6mo neoadjuvant ADT. The RT+ADT arm carried a higher cribriform prevalence, attributed to chance since cribriform was not randomized.

Primary outcome was metastases at 15yr median follow-up, analyzed by both intention-to-treat and per-protocol (accounting for crossover between assigned and received treatment).

In cribriform-negative pts (87%), early radical Rx gave no significant 15yr metastasis reduction vs active monitoring, in ITT and per-protocol. Cribriform-negative GG2 matched GG1 metastasis risk on multivariable Cox.

PSA-screened, clinically localized prostate cancer of low-to-intermediate grade
Does not represent high-grade or clinically-detected (non-screened) disease.

The cribriform-positive group carrying the clinical message is small (~13% of the 712 reviewed), and its metastasis effect size is not reported in source. The 20yr ProtecT follow-up (census just reached) is not yet available.

Post-hoc analysis of a non-randomized histologic feature; only 712 of 1,643 randomized pts had slides reviewed. Cribriform-positive effect size not reported in source.

In cribriform-negative GG2 localized prostate cancer, this supports active surveillance as reasonable (same 15yr metastasis risk as GG1); it does not extend to cribriform-positive disease, which the data marks as higher-risk.

  • Magnitude of radical-treatment benefit in cribriform-positive pts
  • Should cribriform status formally gate active surveillance eligibility
  • Does 20yr ProtecT follow-up confirm the cribriform signal
📚 Sources · 📄 1 paper
📄 PAPER · UroToday
Secondary Analysis of ProtecT Trial Evaluates Impact of Cribriform Morphology on Metastasis - Nikita Sushentsev
Abstract
UroToday - GU OncToday brings coverage of the clinically relevant content needed to stay at the forefront of the dynamic field of GU oncology and urology.
📝 https://www.urotoday.com/video-lectures/localized-prostate-cancer/video/5254-secondary-analysis-of-protect-trial-evaluates-impact-of-cribriform-morphology-on-metastasis-nikita-sushentsev.html