Radiation and hormonal therapy improves survival Prostate Cancer

A new study finds that men with Prostate Cancer that has spread to nearby lymph nodes, who have a significant risk of dying from the disease, can benefit from the addition of radiation therapy to treatments that block the effects of testosterone. The findings imply that the almost half of patients with node-positive disease nationwide who this study found had not received combination therapy were not receiving the treatment that could best control their tumor and possibly save their lives  "Our analysis of a large national database revealed that adding radiation therapy to androgen-deprivation therapy decreased the risk of death in these patients by 50 percent over five years," says Jason Efstathiou, MD, DPhil, of the MGH Cancer Center and Department of Radiation Oncology, senior author of the study. "It appears that more aggressive local management of prostate cancer confined to the pelvis can offer more durable disease control, prevent the disease from spreading further and, for some patients, even provide a potential cure."

"Our analysis of a large national database revealed that adding radiation therapy to androgen-deprivation therapy decreased the risk of death in these patients by 50 percent over five years," says Jason Efstathiou, MD, DPhil, of the MGH Cancer Center and Department of Radiation Oncology, senior author of the study. "It appears that more aggressive local management of prostate cancer confined to the pelvis can offer more durable disease control, prevent the disease from spreading further and, for some patients, even provide a potential cure."

"Our analysis of a large national database revealed that adding radiation therapy to androgen-deprivation therapy decreased the risk of death in these patients by 50 percent over five years," says Jason Efstathiou, MD, DPhil, of the MGH Cancer Center and Department of Radiation Oncology, senior author of the study. "It appears that more aggressive local management of prostate cancer confined to the pelvis can offer more durable disease control, prevent the disease from spreading further and, for some patients, even provide a potential cure."