Prostate Cancer Patients Need Treatment Not "Watchful Waiting"

For Release: October 26, 1998

Contact:
Keri J. Sperry
(703) 295-6775

Michael J. Bernstein
(703) 648-8910

Prostate Cancer Patients Need Treatment Not "Watchful Waiting"

"Watchful waiting" is not a viable option for most prostate cancer patients, a new study indicates.

The study, conducted at Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia, was presented at the annual meeting of the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology on October 26, 1998 in Phoenix, AZ.

"The study found that high dose three-dimensional conformal radiation therapy is better than standard external beam treatment," says Gerald Hanks, M.D., chairman of the department of radiation oncology at Fox Chase Cancer Center. "And if good treatment is better than average treatment, then it is certainly better than no treatment," Dr. Hanks says.

"The value of treatment was made very apparent when we looked at our patients," he says. Half of the patients (357 patients) were treated with standard external beam radiation therapy, the other half with higher dose three-dimensional conformal radiation therapy. "When we looked at overall survival rates in this group, we found that those treated with three-dimensional conformal radiation therapy had an 88 percent survival rate compared to 79 percent for those treated with standard external beam treatment."

"These findings are very important because we compared patients who were identical in stage and grade of disease and PSA levels. The only difference in the patients was their treatment," say Dr. Hanks. "This study adds credence to the argument that treatment is better than watchful waiting for most prostate cancer patients," he says.

The American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ASTRO) is the largest radiation oncology society in the world, with more than 5,000 members. As a leading organization in radiation oncology, biology and physics, the society's goals are to advance the scientific base of radiation therapy and to extend the benefits of radiation therapy to those with cancer. To receive copies of the abstracts contact Keri J. Sperry (703) 295-6775.

###