Baseline clinical characteristics predict overall survival in patients undergoing radioligand therapy with [(177)Lu]Lu-PSMA I&T during long-term follow-up

BACKGROUND: Radioligand therapy (RLT) with (177)Lu-labeled prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) ligands is associated with prolonged overall survival (OS) in patients with advanced, metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). A substantial number of patients, however, are prone to treatment failure. We aimed to determine clinical baseline characteristics to predict OS in patients receiving [(177)Lu]Lu-PSMA I&T RLT in a long-term follow-up. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ninety-two mCRPC patients treated with [(177)Lu]Lu-PSMA I&T with a follow-up of at least 18 months were retrospectively identified. Multivariable Cox regression analyses were performed for various baseline characteristics, including laboratory values, Gleason score, age, prior therapies, and time interval between initial diagnosis and first treatment cycle (interval(Diagnosis-RLT), per 12 months). Cutoff values for significant predictors were determined using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. ROC-derived thresholds were then applied to Kaplan–Meier analyses. RESULTS: Baseline C-reactive protein (CRP; hazard ratio [HR], 1.10, 95% CI 1.02–1.18; P = 0.01), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH; HR, 1.07, 95% CI 1.01–1.11; P = 0.01), aspartate aminotransferase (AST; HR, 1.16, 95% CI 1.06–1.26; P = 0.001), and interval(Diagnosis-RLT) (HR, 0.95, 95% CI 0.91–0.99; P = 0.02) were identified as independent prognostic factors for OS. The following respective ROC-based thresholds were determined: CRP, 0.98 mg/dl (area under the curve [AUC], 0.80); LDH, 276.5 U/l (AUC, 0.83); AST, 26.95 U/l (AUC, 0.73); and interval(Diagnosis-RLT), 43.5 months (AUC, 0.68; P < 0.01, respectively). Respective Kaplan–Meier analyses demonstrated a significantly longer median OS of patients with lower CRP, lower LDH, and lower AST, as well as prolonged interval(Diagnosis-RLT) (P ≤ 0.01, respectively). CONCLUSION: In mCRPC patients treated with [(177)Lu]Lu-PSMA I&T, baseline CRP, LDH, AST, and time interval until RLT initiation (thereby reflecting a possible indicator for tumor aggressiveness) are independently associated with survival. Our findings are in line with previous findings on [(177)Lu]Lu-PSMA-617, and we believe that these clinical baseline characteristics may support the nuclear medicine specialist to identify long-term survivors.