Short-Term Hormone Therapy Added to Radiation Increases Survival for Medium-Risk, But Not Low-Risk, Prostate Cancer Patients
CHICAGO, Nov. 2 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Short-term hormone
therapy given prior to and during radiation treatment to
medium-risk prostate cancer patients increases their chance of
living longer, compared to those who receive radiation alone,
however there is no significant benefit for low-risk patients,
according to the largest randomized study of its kind presented at
the plenary session November 2, 2009, at the 51st Annual Meeting of
the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO).
This phase III study is one of the largest clinical trials of
prostate cancer therapy ever completed, with 2,000 low- and
intermediate-risk patients enrolled in the trial from October 1994
to April 2001. Researchers from the Radiation Therapy Oncology
Group (RTOG) followed men with early-stage prostate cancer for a
period in most cases of more than nine years. This timeframe was
sufficient to show improved survival benefits of short-term hormone
therapy added to what was then the standard radiation treatment for
prostate cancer, which involved slightly lower doses of radiation
than are currently used today with newer techniques, such as
intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT).
"The study provides strong scientific evidence that shows us
when to deliver hormone therapy with radiation in patients with
localized prostate cancer," Christopher U. Jones, M.D., an author
of the study and a radiation oncologist at Radiological Associates
of Sacramento in Sacramento, Calif., said. "Our findings show that
men with low-risk disease, which is the vast majority of prostate
cancer patients, have little to gain from adding hormone therapy to
radiation. However, men with intermediate-risk disease, which is a
significant minority of patients, gain a benefit in overall
survival from the addition of only four months of hormone therapy.
Prior to this trial, it was unclear whether or not combining
hormone therapy with radiation for medium-risk prostate cancer
patients improves survival."
Androgen deprivation therapy is hormone therapy used to treat
prostate cancer by stopping or lowering the level of male hormones,
or androgens, thereby removing the strongest growth factor for
prostate cancer cells.
In the study, a total of 1,979 eligible men who had cancer
confined to the prostate and a PSA less than or equal to 20 were
randomized to receive total androgen deprivation therapy two months
prior to and two months during radiation treatment, or radiation
alone.
Findings show that short-term hormone therapy given to
early-stage prostate cancer patients prior to and during radiation
treatment significantly increases their chance of living longer (51
percent), compared to those who receive radiation alone (46
percent). Nearly all of the survival benefit was in the
intermediate-risk group. Secondary endpoints of disease-free
survival, freedom from biochemical failure, and positive two year
re-biopsy rates were also better in the group who received
short-term hormone therapy and radiation treatment.
The study was supported by grants from the National Cancer
Institute.
For more information on radiation therapy for prostate cancer,
visit www.rtanswers.org.
The abstract, "Short-Term Endocrine Therapy Prior To and During
Radiation Therapy Improves Overall Survival in Patients with
T1b-T2b Adenocarcinoma of the Prostate and PSA <20: initial
results of rtog 94-08," will be presented at the plenary session at
2:15 p.m. on monday, november 2, 2009. to speak presenter of
the study, christopher u. jones, m.d., please call beth bukata or
nicole napoli 1-4, 2009, in astro press room at
mccormick place west 312-791-7005 or 312-791-7006. you may also
e-mail them bethb@astro.org or nicolen@astro.org.
Source: American Society for Radiation Oncology
CONTACT: Beth Bukata, bethb@astro.org, or Nicole
Napoli,
nicolen@astro.org, 800-962-7876,
Press Room Phone: Nov. 1-4, +1-312-791-7005,
or +1-312-791-7006, After Hours: +1-703-474-0940
Web Site: http://www.rtanswers.org/
Posted: November 2009
