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Prostate Radiation Linked to Rectal Cancer

Radiation Treatment for Prostate Cancer May Double Rectal Cancer Risk

     By Jennifer Warner
     WebMD Medical News  Reviewed By Michael  Smith, MD
     on Friday, April 01, 2005

April 1, 2005 - Men who receive radiation treatment for prostate cancer are
more likely to develop rectal cancer, a new study suggests.

Researchers found that men with prostate cancer who were treated with
radiation had a 70% higher risk of developing rectal cancer than those who
were treated with surgery only.

"Men who have had prostate radiation should be aggressively monitored for
rectal cancer starting five years after treatment," says researcher Nancy
Baxter, MD, PhD, of the University of Minnesota Cancer Center, in a news
release. "This is the first time rectal cancer risk associated with prostate
radiation has been quantified, and these findings may also have implications
for patients treated with radiation for other pelvic cancers."

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Prostate Cancer: Latest Treatments, Tips for Coping

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Prostate cancerProstate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in the
U.S. with about 230,000 men diagnosed with the disease each year. Although
prostate cancer is highly treatable when caught in the early stages,
researchers say men who survive prostate cancer may face higher risks of
other types of cancer due to the effects of their treatment.

About 17% of men with prostate cancer are treated with radiation,treated
with radiation, usually because they choose radiation over surgery,surgery,
are older, or have other medical problems.

Prostate Cancer Treatment May Raise Other Risks

In the study, which appears in the April issue of Gastroenterology,
researchers looked at more than 85,000 men treated for prostate cancer from
1973 to 1994.

More than 30,000 of the men received radiation treatment for prostate cancer
and about 55,000 had surgery only.

The results showed that radiation treatment was linked to a higher risk of
cancer in areas that were irradiated, such as the rectum, but not in the
remainder of the colon. The risk of developing rectal cancerrectal cancer
among men who received radiation was 70% higher than those who underwent
surgery alone.

Researchers say that increase in risk is roughly equivalent to the
colorectal cancer riskcolorectal cancer risk associated with having a family
history of the disease.

Improvements With Current Technology

However, researchers say current technology allows for more targeted
radiation treatment to the affected area than was available up to 1995. Even
so, researchers say some portions of the rectum may still receive a high
dose of radiation, which raises the risk of rectal cancer.

In an editorial that accompanies the study, William M. Grady of the Fred
Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle and Ken Russell of the
University of Washington Medical School say that the results highlight the
need to monitor the long-term health of prostate cancer survivors.

"In light of the increasing number of men surviving prostate cancer, these
findings have substantial implications not only regarding our understanding
of radiation-induced cancers but also for our management of men who have
undergone prostate irradiation," write the editorialists.

"As more men are successfully treated for their prostate cancer, the
prevention of long-term complications from prostate cancer treatment can be
predicted to become a major medical issue."

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SOURCES: Baxter, N. Gastroenterology, April 2005; vol 128: pp 819-824. News
release, American Gastroenterological Association.