Hormone Therapy Plus Radiation Therapy Produce Better Survival Outcomes

Recently, there has been numerous study reports published that address the benefits of Hormone therapy combined with Radiation therapy in treating prostate cancer. This article wishes to provide readers some helpful updates with regards to the new standard treatment for prostate cancer.

In 1995 to 2005, a randomized study was jointly conducted by the National Cancer Institute of Canada, the United Kingdom Medical Research Council and the Southwest Oncology Group in the United States. 1,205 men with high risk prostate cancer in the United States, Canada and in United Kingdom were part of the study. These men were assigned with either receiving hormone therapy alone or a combined hormone therapy (with external beam radiation treatment). Follow ups were made among patients for an average of at least 6 years and findings from this study presents that adding radiation therapy significantly reduced the risk of death among the study group given with the combined therapy.

In another study report published by Bolla et al from an EORTC study in 1997 showed an increase in the probability of a progression-free and overall survival of European patients diagnosed with a locally advance prostate cancer high risk (T1-2 and T3-4NO-1MO) tumors. Patients who were given external beam radiation therapy plus an adjuvant hormonal therapy for three years showed an increase in survival rates compared to the patients who received external beam radiation therapy alone. Additional data from the American studies show similar results. According to this study, two to three years of hormone therapy combined with radiotherapy improves survival among patients but is accompanied by a number of adverse effects such as impotence, hot flashes and risk of acquiring heart attacks.

Horwitz et al reported a US study (RTOG 92-02) in 2008 that radiotherapy plus extended adjuvant hormone therapy for 28 months increased the probability of the disease-free survival and disease-specific survival rates among its study group. The group who received a combined therapy obtained a lower probability of a local progression of the prostate tumor and biochemical failure rates were also lowered. The combined therapy prevented further metastasis (spread) among its study group compared to the radiation therapy group. Overall the survival rates in this study showed an increase rates among patients with a pre-treatment Gleason score of 8-10 with no metastasis to the lymph node or the pelvis with a PSA level of 150 ng/ml and below.

Prostate cancer is believed to be caused by an exposure to the male hormones testosterone. An increase in the testosterone levels in the body stimulates prostate cancer cells to grow. Hormone therapy is given to patients diagnosed with prostate cancer as a means to decease the testosterone levels in the body, it is also referred as the Androgen Deprivation Therapy (in which production of male hormones are prevented). Radiation therapy is given to directly kill and destroy the cancer cells by using external beam radiation.

Numerous studies conclude that combination of hormone therapy plus radiation therapy promotes good survival rates. Hormone therapy helps by reducing tumor growth. It also potentiates killing of the cancer cells when combined with radiotherapy.