Radiotherapy to the prostate should be considered for men with low metastatic burden, hormone-sensitive prostate cancer

07 Mar 2019

Research has found that prostate radiotherapy should be considered for men with hormone sensitive prostate cancer (mHSPC) whose disease has not spread too much beyond the prostate at diagnosis. These results are the latest STOPCAP systematic review and meta-analysis, which was published in European Urology last week.

Many trials are evaluating therapies for mHSPC; this STOPCAP systematic review looked at trials of radiotherapy to the prostate and hormone treatment, or hormone treatment only.

The STOPCAP team performed an extensive search for eligible trials before the results of any trials were known. Three trials were found, two of which were due to report results and one that was ongoing. The team asked investigators when the trial results would be available and obtained comparable, pre-publication, results directly from the investigators.

The analysis included results from 2126 men. Although the results overall showed that using radiotherapy on the prostate in this particular group of men did not help them to live longer, it did show approximately 10% benefit on biochemical progression three years after treatment. The benefit of prostate radiotherapy varied depending on how much their prostate cancer spread; those whose cancer had spread to fewer than five areas of bone received the greatest benefit from radiotherapy, including a 7% improvement in survival.

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