Radiation After Prostate Surgery Slashes Recurrence

A study has shown that early radiation therapy following a prostatectomy in properly selected patients may reduce the likelihood of cancer recurrence by as much as two-thirds. The study, conducted by researchers a the Lahey Clinic (Burlington, MA, USA), was presented at the annual meeting of the American Urological Association in Anaheim (CA, USA).

In the study, Lahey researchers followed 296 prostate cancer patients with an average age of 61, who underwent a radical prostatectomy for prostate cancer that had spread into the margins around the capsule. Of these, 66 were given early adjuvant radiation therapy following their surgery. The remaining patients received hormonal or delayed radiation therapy at the time of recurrence of disease. The patients who had the early radiation therapy experienced a 12% recurrence rate, as compared to a 38% recurrence rate for patients who received no adjuvant radiation.

"The use of radiation within six months of a prostatectomy in which the disease has spread beyond the prostate capsule can make an enormous difference in recurrence of the disease,” said John A. Libertino, M.D., chair of the department of urology at Lahey Clinic and principal investigator of the study. The researchers note that the addition of radiation did not increase the rate of incontinence nor have any other major side effects.




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