Amar Kishan, MD

Comparing the Effectiveness of Treatments for Aggressive Prostate Cancer

Amar U. Kishan, MD, received the 2018 Publication Award in recognition of the outstanding research published in the manuscript, “Radical Prostatectomy, External Beam Radiotherapy, or External Beam Radiotherapy With Brachytherapy Boost and Disease Progression and Mortality in Patients With Gleason Score 9-10 Prostate Cancer.” Dr. Kishan is first author on the paper and an assistant professor in the Departments of Radiation Oncology and Urology and a member of the Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center at UCLA. The article was published in JAMA, on March 6, 2018, and quickly had an impact on practice.

Dr. Kishan built a multi-institutional consortium to compile the largest set of clinical data from prostate cancer patients with Gleason Score 9-10 ever reported in the literature—more than 1,800 patients from 12 institutions. Using this dataset, Dr. Kishan led the analysis comparing the clinical outcomes following three different types of treatment for this aggressive form of localized prostate cancer: radical prostatectomy, external beam radiotherapy, and external beam radiotherapy with a brachytherapy boost. This analysis was able to identify a significant benefit to prostate cancer–specific mortality and a longer time to distant metastasis with external beam radiotherapy with a brachytherapy boost compared to the other two treatment options.

The ROI selected the manuscript for the 2018 Publication Award because the findings are important evidence of the comparative effectiveness and value of radiation therapy that can be used to support its critical role in the treatment of aggressive localized prostate cancer. The manuscript also garnered attention from press and the medical community, helping to elevate the profile of radiation therapy, and specifically brachytherapy, as an option for treating prostate cancer. In addition, the results were incorporated into UpToDate and featured in the New England Journal of Medicine Journal Watch, demonstrating the potential for the research to have a lasting impact on the field of radiation oncology.

Dr. Kishan also received a grant to build upon the research in the manuscript, which he is using to expand the multi-institutional consortium and extend the investigation to the general category of high-risk prostate cancer.