Study Shows Radiotherapy Reduces Risk of Death from Prostate Cancer by Half
By MedImaging International staff writers Posted on 24 May 2016 |
Image: A patient undergoing radiotherapy for prostate cancer (Photo courtesy of Umeå University).
A longitudinal Nordic study has shown that a combination of pill-based hormone therapy and local radiotherapy can halve the risk of death from prostate cancer 15 years after diagnosis.
The results of the study were published in the May 2016 issue of the journal European Urology. The researchers compared the results of treatment using only a standard Nordic pill-based therapy (the hormone antiandrogen) and the same therapy with the addition of local radiotherapy. Treatment using antiandrogens slows down the growth of the cancer cells. A follow-up term of 15 years after diagnosis showed that the treatment that included radiotherapy reduced the risk of patients dying from prostate cancer by half, from 34% to 17%. Approximately 9,000 patients are diagnosed with prostate cancer each year in Sweden.
The Researchers from Umeå University (Umeå, Sweden), and from Norway, and Denmark, followed 875 patients who had been treated for locally advanced prostate, or aggressive prostate cancer between the years 1996 and 2002. The patients were from approximately 40 clinics in Sweden and Norway.
The leader of the study, Anders Widmark, senior physician and professor, Umeå University, said, "When we published the first results of this study in the Lancet in 2009, we contributed to changing the attitude towards radiotherapy for older patients with advanced prostate cancer. In this follow-up study, we present even more evident results that clearly show how patients who previously were considered incurable, to a large extent can be cured and that these patients should therefore be offered radiotherapy as an additional treatment. We are also in the process of evaluating how hormone therapy against prostate cancer affects the patients' quality of life. We will publish that study shortly."
Related Links:
Umeå University
The results of the study were published in the May 2016 issue of the journal European Urology. The researchers compared the results of treatment using only a standard Nordic pill-based therapy (the hormone antiandrogen) and the same therapy with the addition of local radiotherapy. Treatment using antiandrogens slows down the growth of the cancer cells. A follow-up term of 15 years after diagnosis showed that the treatment that included radiotherapy reduced the risk of patients dying from prostate cancer by half, from 34% to 17%. Approximately 9,000 patients are diagnosed with prostate cancer each year in Sweden.
The Researchers from Umeå University (Umeå, Sweden), and from Norway, and Denmark, followed 875 patients who had been treated for locally advanced prostate, or aggressive prostate cancer between the years 1996 and 2002. The patients were from approximately 40 clinics in Sweden and Norway.
The leader of the study, Anders Widmark, senior physician and professor, Umeå University, said, "When we published the first results of this study in the Lancet in 2009, we contributed to changing the attitude towards radiotherapy for older patients with advanced prostate cancer. In this follow-up study, we present even more evident results that clearly show how patients who previously were considered incurable, to a large extent can be cured and that these patients should therefore be offered radiotherapy as an additional treatment. We are also in the process of evaluating how hormone therapy against prostate cancer affects the patients' quality of life. We will publish that study shortly."
Related Links:
Umeå University
Latest Radiography News
- Novel Breast Imaging System Proves As Effective As Mammography
- AI Assistance Improves Breast-Cancer Screening by Reducing False Positives
- AI Could Boost Clinical Adoption of Chest DDR
- 3D Mammography Almost Halves Breast Cancer Incidence between Two Screening Tests
- AI Model Predicts 5-Year Breast Cancer Risk from Mammograms
- Deep Learning Framework Detects Fractures in X-Ray Images With 99% Accuracy
- Direct AI-Based Medical X-Ray Imaging System a Paradigm-Shift from Conventional DR and CT
- Chest X-Ray AI Solution Automatically Identifies, Categorizes and Highlights Suspicious Areas
- AI Diagnoses Wrist Fractures As Well As Radiologists
- Annual Mammography Beginning At 40 Cuts Breast Cancer Mortality By 42%
- 3D Human GPS Powered By Light Paves Way for Radiation-Free Minimally-Invasive Surgery
- Novel AI Technology to Revolutionize Cancer Detection in Dense Breasts
- AI Solution Provides Radiologists with 'Second Pair' Of Eyes to Detect Breast Cancers
- AI Helps General Radiologists Achieve Specialist-Level Performance in Interpreting Mammograms
- Novel Imaging Technique Could Transform Breast Cancer Detection
- Computer Program Combines AI and Heat-Imaging Technology for Early Breast Cancer Detection