Long-term hormone use helps prostate cancer patients live longer
Doctors in Canada have discovered that treating high-risk prostate
cancer patients with radiation therapy and adding hormone therapy for
more than one year allows patients to live longer, have better control
of their prostate specific antigen levels and lowers the rate of death
specifically from prostate cancer, according to a study published in
the November 1, 2005, issue of the International Journal of Radiation
Oncology*Biology*Physics, the official journal of ASTRO.
A total of 307 patients with a PSA level greater than 20 were split
into two groups, both with a similar demographic of age, Gleason score
and tumor stage. The first group had 151 patients receiving hormone
therapy for less than 12 months (short term) and the second set had 156
patients receiving hormone therapy for more than 12 months (long term).
Both groups were treated with hormone therapy in conjunction with
external beam radiation therapy.

In the long-term hormone therapy group, 62.5 percent of patients showed
a greater control over their PSA level, compared with 37 percent in the
short-term group. The five-year overall survival rate was 87.5 percent
for the long-term group and 75 percent in the short-term group. The
chance of dying of prostate cancer was reduced from 18 percent to 6
percent in the long-term group.

"Other randomized trials have shown the benefit of combining radiation
and hormone therapy in the treatment of prostate cancer. However, some
of those reports appear to be restricted to patients with a high
Gleason score," said Eric Berthelet, M.D., lead author of the study and
a radiation oncologist at the BC Cancer Agency in Victoria, British
Columbia, Canada. "This study proves that long-term hormone therapy
used in consort with radiation therapy improves survival rates for
high-risk patients, regardless of their Gleason score or tumor stage."

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For more information on radiation therapy for prostate cancer, please
visit www.rtanswers.org.

To arrange an interview with Dr. Berthelet or for a copy of "Long-Term
Androgen Deprivation Therapy Improves Survival in Prostate Cancer
Patients Presenting With Prostate-Specific Antigen Levels >20 ng/mL,"
please contact Nick Lashinsky at nickl@astro.org or 1-800-962-7876.

ASTRO is the largest radiation oncology society in the world, with more
than 8,000 members who specialize in treating patients with radiation
therapies. As a leading organization in radiation oncology, biology and
physics, the Society is dedicated to the advancement of the practice of
radiation oncology by promoting excellence in patient care, providing
opportunities for educational and professional development, promoting
research and disseminating research results and representing radiation
oncology in a rapidly evolving socioeconomic healthcare environment