High-dose radiation therapy as effective as surgery for aggressive prostate cancer

This study was the first of its kind to directly compare outcomes between radiation-based treatments and surgery for patients with cancers that are Gleason score nine or 10 (the highest score possible, which represents the most aggressive form of cancer). BACKGROUND Prostate cancer is the most common form of cancer among men in the United States, with nearly 180,000 new cases expected to be diagnosed in 2016 alone. Therefore, identifying the optimal treatment strategies for this malignancy is particularly important. In the past oncologists suggested that surgery and radiation-based treatments offer equivalent outcomes. However, optimal treatment for prostate cancer patients remains controversial, in part because technologies and treatment strategies are continually improving. Both surgery and radiation-based treatments have vocal supporters and detractors within the medical community. The relative efficacy of these treatments is particularly relevant for the most aggressive forms of prostate cancer, which will most likely lead to metastatic disease and eventually death. The aggressiveness of prostate cancer is dependent on many factors, one of which is the Gleason score — a grading system of how aggressive the disease appears under the microscope. METHOD Researchers analyzed 487 prostate cancer patients treated for Gleason scores of 9 or 10 prostate cancer between 2000 and 2013 at UCLA, the California Endocurie Therapy Center and Fox Chase Cancer Center. Institutional datab...
Source: UCLA Newsroom: Health Sciences - Category: Universities & Medical Training Source Type: news