Radiotherapy and oncology : journal of the European Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology
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We fit phenomenological tumor control probability (TCP) models to biopsy outcome after three-dimensional conformal radiation therapy (3D-CRT) of prostate cancer patients to quantify the local dose-response of prostate cancer. ⋯ Dose-response of prostate cancer, quantified by TCD(50) and gamma(50), varies by prognostic subgroup. Our observations are consistent with the hypothesis that the shallow nature of clinically observed dose-response curves for local control result from a patient population that is a heterogeneous mixture of sub-populations with steeper dose-response curves and varying values of TCD(50). Such results may eventually help to identify patients, based on their individual pre-treatment prognostic factors, that would benefit most from dose-escalation, and to guide dose prescription.