Adjuvant Radiation Reduces Recurrence Of Prostate Cancer Following Surgery

Main Category: Prostate / Prostate Cancer
Also Included In: Radiology / Nuclear Medicine;  Clinical Trials / Drug Trials
Article Date: 21 May 2008 - 0:00 PDT

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Follow-up radiation after prostate cancer surgery significantly reduces men's risk of suffering recurrence and spread and therefore should be offered to all high-risk patients, a study released May 20 suggests.

The Cancer Therapy & Research Center (CTRC) at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, in collaboration with the Southwest Oncology Group (SWOG) Genitourinary Committee, announced the findings in a presentation titled, "Adjuvant radiotherapy for pT3 prostate cancer: Results of a randomized, prospective clinical trial, 2008 update," at the American Urological Association Annual Meeting in Orlando, Fla.

"Those of us involved in clinical research who labor year in and year out are frequently disappointed that our efforts don't yield significant improvements in the treatment of cancer," said the research presenter, Gregory Swanson, M.D., associate professor, Departments of Radiation Oncology and Urology at the UT Health Science Center and a CTRC radiation oncologist. "This study is one of those great victories where we have shown that we can help more patients live longer and without recurrence of their cancer. It is very gratifying that we have something proven to offer men with high risk at radical prostatectomy."

In the early 1990s, the study (SWOG 8794) enrolled 425 men with aggressive prostate cancer, randomly assigned within 16 weeks after prostatectomy into groups of adjuvant radiation versus observation. Immediate radiation following the removal of the prostate significantly reduced recurrence by all parameters (biochemical, local failure and metastatic disease) and increased metastatic disease-free and overall survival.

Fifteen-year metastasis-free survival was 46 percent with radiation and 38 percent for observation, while overall survival was 47 percent and 37 percent, respectively. Radiation therapy also significantly reduced biochemical and local failure as well as the need for androgen ablation (or hormone therapy).

The study noted statistically significant increases in patient-reported genitourinary-specific symptoms (urinary frequency and bowel tenderness) for the radiotherapy group compared to the observation group at six weeks and two years, but differences disappeared by five years following treatment.

About the CTRC:

The Cancer Therapy & Research Center (CTRC) at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio is one of the nation's leading academic research and treatment centers, serving more than 4.4 million people in the high-growth corridor of Central and South Texas including Austin, San Antonio, Laredo and the Rio Grande Valley. CTRC is one of a few elite cancer centers in the country to be named a National Cancer Institute (NCI) Designated Cancer Center, and is one of only three in Texas. CTRC handles more than 120,000 patient visits each year and is a world leader in developing new drugs to treat cancer. The CTRC Institute for Drug Development (IDD) is internationally recognized for conducting the largest oncology Phase I clinical drug trials program in the world, and participated in the clinical and/or preclinical development of many of the cancer drugs approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration. For more information, visit http://www.ctrc.uthscsa.edu.

About the Southwest Oncology Group:

The Southwest Oncology Group (http://www.swog.org) is one of the largest cancer clinical trials cooperative groups in the United States. Funded by research grants from the National Cancer Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health, the group conducts clinical trials to prevent and treat cancer in adults, and to improve the quality of life for cancer survivors. The group's network of more than 5,000 physician-researchers practice at nearly 550 institutions, including 18 National Cancer Institute-designated cancer centers. Headquartered in Ann Arbor, Mich.

University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
7703 Floyd Curl Dr.
San Antonio, TX 78229-3900
United States
http://www.uthscsa.edu