Radiation Therapy An Effective Solution For Recurrent Prostate Cancer

Specialists say about 30,000 men in the United States who undergo surgery to have their prostates removed will have their cancer return. However a recent study shows that men who have their prostates removed may benefit from radiation therapy if their cancer returns .

Researchers studied more than 500 men with prostate cancer. All the men in the study first had a radical prostatectomy and also underwent radiotherapy when their cancer came back. Researchers found after nearly four years, 50 percent of patients had their disease progress after receiving radiation. Ten percent of patients had their cancer spread to distant organs, and 4 percent of patients died from prostate cancer during the study. Researchers say these results show radiation after surgery could prevent prostate cancer from progressing. Results of the study also show the four-year progression-free probability for patients in the study was about 45 percent.

Researchers say the clinical implications of their findings are that locally recurrent prostate cancer appears to be more common than previously reported, that it is frequently associated with aggressive features, and that salvage radiotherapy [radiation after surgery] offers the possibility of cure for a substantial proportion of patients.

Thus researchers conclude saying the most important finding from the study is early treatment is better for prostate cancer patients.