Radiation after surgery keeps high-risk prostate cancer at bay

An analysis of data involving more than 2,000 patients from 17 U.S. institutions demonstrates that men with high-risk prostate cancer who receive radiation therapy after a prostatectomy were less likely to have a recurrence of disease.

What's more, men whose cancer persists after surgery were less likely to see the cancer spread if they receive radiation (salvage therapy). These are the conclusions of a study presented today at the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology's 49th Annual Meeting in Los Angeles.

“Our analysis gives us a robust picture of the national experience in treating these high-risk prostate cancers,” said Eric M. Horwitz, M.D., clinical director of the radiation oncology department at Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia, and lead author of the study.

For the study, data from 2,183 men who underwent radiation therapy after radical prostatectomy were available for analysis.

“This is the first time we've applied the new method of defining success to such a large sampling,” explained Horwitz. “The results are even more dramatic in favor of post-operative radiation when compared to the old formula. Given our findings, I expect we'll see more men receive and benefit from radiation after prostatectomy for men with high-risk prostate cancer.”