Combination Therapy May Offer Better Outcomes in High-Risk Prostate Cancer

An estimated 180,000 American men will receive a positive diagnosis of prostate cancer this year alone. While many of those men will find they have low-risk forms of the disease that can be managed through careful observation without other interventions, that simply will not be so for all men. Even when early detection comes into play, some men will find their tumors, though localized, are graded as higher risk. Helping these men enjoy a higher likelihood of a positive outcome has long been a concern for clinicians. Recent studies have shown that a combination of treatments may provide the best results over the long run.

One particular combination treatment has been under much scrutiny as of late. It involves the use of androgen suppression therapy and radiation therapy. These two treatments generally take place after surgical treatment has been performed. A recent study has shown that the combining radiation and androgen suppression therapy can have better long-term result for men than using either procedure on its own.

The most recent study in question looked at a number of men with high-risk localized prostate cancer. Some of the men in the study were given six months of androgen suppression therapy along with radiation treatments. These men, as it turned out, enjoyed a much higher percentage of biochemical disease-free survival than their counterparts treated with only radiation. The difference at a median follow up of just over seven years was about an 82.6 percent disease-free survival rate in the combination therapy group. The number for men who only had radiation was just under 70 percent.

While more study is required, the results point to the promise combination therapy offers in treating high-risk localized prostate cancer. Other similar studies have come to the same conclusion.

The mechanisms behind the two forms of therapy shed some light on why they may be more effective when conducted in concern. Radiation is designed to kill off all cancer cells through an irradiation process, but that doesn’t necessarily mean every single malignant cell will be targeted. Androgen therapy adds a boost to the treatment by essentially starving prostate cancer cells of their main fuel source: hormones. When the two forms of treatment combine, it becomes increasingly difficult for cancer cells to remain behind after a course of treatment.

Men who are diagnosed with prostate cancer are urged to talk to their doctors about all treatment options. Combination therapy may make the most sense in some cases that are higher risk. The best recommendation in an individual case, however, will come from the healthcare provider with direct information about the patient, the type of prostate cancer involved and other patient-specific factors.