Peter J. Rossi, MD

Peter J. Rossi, MD

Valley View Hospital

Glenwood Springs, Colorado

Peter J. Rossi, MD, a certified radiation oncologist, is associated with the Calaway - Young Cancer Center at Valley View Hospital in Glenwood Springs, Colorado. Holding a medical degree from Wayne State University School of Medicine, he completed his internship and residency at the Naval Medical Center in San Diego, California, and Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Dr. Rossi was formerly an associate professor at Emory University School of Medicine and the medical director of oncology at Winship Cancer Institute at Emory Saint Joseph’s Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia. He brings over 25 years of clinical experience to his practice. His numerous publications highlight his commitment to improving quality of life outcomes and showcase innovative approaches in brachytherapy, radiation therapy, and multidisciplinary care for prostate cancer. Actively contributing to a multidisciplinary team, Dr. Rossi is devoted to delivering exceptional care to cancer patients.

Disclosures:

Talks by Peter J. Rossi, MD

Brachytherapy: What’s New and Where are We Going?

Peter J. Rossi, MD, a board-certified radiation oncologist affiliated with Calaway Young Cancer Center at Valley View Hospital in Glenwood Springs, Colorado discusses innovations and advances in low-dose-rate (LDR) and high-dose-rate (HDR) prostate brachytherapy as well as American Brachytherapy Society (ABS) initiatives and training opportunities. Dr. Rossi explains that innovations have resulted in brachytherapy treatment that is evidence-based, innovative, efficient, cost effective, flexible, yields highly personalized treatment, and is of high value to multidisciplinary teams and to patients.

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The Role of Molecular Imaging to Improve Cancer Control Post-Prostatectomy

Peter J. Rossi, MD, a board-certified radiation oncologist affiliated with Calaway Young Cancer Center at Valley View Hospital in Glenwood Springs, Colorado, considers the evidence for using molecular imaging to improve prostate cancer control post-prostatectomy, focusing on the results of the EMPIRE-1 study comparing 18F-fluciclovine-PET/CT imaging versus conventional imaging alone to guide post-prostatectomy salvage radiotherapy for prostate cancer. Dr. Rossi explains that while doctors may offer postoperative radiotherapy to patients experiencing a PSA rise or biochemical failure, the decision to do so can be complex and failure rates are high. He notes that improving adjuvant therapy is therefore imperative, and investigators have looked to molecular imaging as the means to do so. Dr. Rossi then describes the aims and methods of the EMPIRE-1 trial, noting that the investigators sought to expand the role of 18F-fluciclovine-PET/CT imaging beyond diagnostics and into cancer control by studying how radiotherapy decisions and planning changed based on molecular scans as compared to standard imaging. The results showed that radiotherapy plans were changed in 35.4% of patients based on PET uptake, and that using PET imaging resulted in a significantly improved and significantly more durable failure-free survival rate compared to using standard imaging alone, suggesting that PET is a viable tool for improving adjuvant radiotherapy. Dr. Rossi concludes by looking at future directions for molecular imaging and adjuvant care, highlighting a new study comparing 18F-fluciclovine-PET/CT to PSMA.

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Updates in Brachytherapy

Peter J. Rossi, MD, a radiation oncologist affiliated with Kaiser Permanente and Valley View Hospital in Glenwood Springs, Colorado, discusses the benefits of brachytherapy for patients with intermediate-risk prostate cancer, arguing that it should be in wider use in the United States than it currently is. He notes that there is a lot of level I evidence for brachytherapy’s effectiveness, and that low dose rate brachytherapy plus external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) plus androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) is far more effective after several years than EBRT plus ADT alone, as is EBRT plus a high dose rate brachytherapy boost. This difference has largely been ignored in the US because of a slightly higher toxicity rate with brachytherapy, but Dr. Rossi argues that the treatment has improved over time, especially with the introduction of MRI-based brachytherapy. Dr. Rossi concludes by noting that there needs to be better messaging around brachytherapy, as well as greater efforts to train new brachytherapists.

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