The vast majority of men who undergo prostate cancer surgery don’t
follow it up with radiation therapy, despite strong evidence and
guidelines supporting its use to reduce the risk of recurrence, new
research shows. Fewer than one in 10 men at risk of recurrence receive post-operative radiotherapy within six months of surgery in the U.S.
Although radical prostatectomy is a common treatment for localized
prostate cancer, about 30 percent of patients will suffer a recurrence, meaning their prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level will again rise.
For some patients with more aggressive cancers, as many as 60-70 percent
will have a recurrence. Three major clinical trials in Europe and the United States have shown
postoperative radiotherapy reduces the risk of PSA recurrence, which may
in turn reduce the likelihood the cancer will spread to other parts of
the body when it can become life-threatening.
In the U.S., the American Society for Radiation Oncology and American
Urological Association recommend post-surgical radiation to patients at
risk of recurrence.
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