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This article is from the WebMD News Archive
Prostate Cancer: Combo Treatment Works
Jan. 8, 2007 -- One of the longest ever follow-up studies of radioactive "seed" implants for prostate cancerprostate cancer shows the treatment to be highly effective in combination with conventional external radiation.
Three out of four patients in the study remained disease free at least 15 years after treatment ended, with intermediate-risk patients faring almost as well as those considered to have a low risk of dying from their cancercancer.
The outcomes compared favorably to the best results reported among surgically treated patients, says John E. Sylvester, MD, of the Seattle Prostate Institute.
Sylvester and colleagues followed 223 patients with localized prostate tumors for at least a decade and a half after treating the men with external beam radiotherapy and internal seed implants.
"The results that we found in this group of intermediate- to high-risk patients with localized disease have not been beaten by any other treatment," Sylvester tells WebMD.
Each year in the U.S. roughly 240,000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer, according to the American Cancer Society (ACS). And for most new patients, decisions about which treatment to have or whether or not to even be treated at all are not clear-cut.
Treatment Options
Prostate cancer treatments include surgery to remove the prostate gland, external radiation, cryotherapy (in which the tumor is treated by freezing it), radioactive seed implants, chemotherapy, hormone therapy, and watchful waiting.
Seed implants, also called brachytherapy, are small radioactive pellets about the size of a grain of rice. The pellets are implanted into the prostate; they deliver radiation to the prostate cancer from the inside.
Most good-prognosis patients who choose seed implants do not receive other treatments, Sylvester says. But patients considered to have more aggressive tumors may get seed implants and external-beam radiation.
The patients in the newly reported follow-up study received seed implants about four weeks after completion of the short daily external beam radiation treatment. Most were able to carry on their normal daily activities while undergoing treatment.
Making Informed Choices About Treatment
Fifteen years later, the overall relapse-free survival rate among the men was 74%, with survival rates even higher than this for men with low- to intermediate-risk cancers.
Sylvester says the long-term findings prove that the combination treatment is an effective prostate cancerprostate cancer treatment.
The study is published in the January issue of the International Journal of Radiation Oncology*Biology*Physics.
"We now have 15-year results which look excellent, and you really can't ask for longer follow-up than that in prostate cancercancer patients," he says.
American Cancer Society spokesman Len Lichtenfeld, MD, tells WebMD that the long-term data will help patients and clinicians make more informed decisions about treatment. But he adds that the findings may not make those decisions any easier.
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Indication
Uroxatral® (alfuzosin HCl 10 mg extended-release tablets) is an alpha1-blocker for the treatment of the signs and symptoms of BPH.
Important Safety Information
Do not take UROXATRAL if you have liver problems or if you are taking antifungal drugs like ketoconazole or itraconazole, or HIV drugs like ritonavir.
UROXATRAL can cause a sudden drop in blood pressure, especially when starting treatment. This may lead to fainting, dizziness, and lightheadedness. Do not drive, operate machinery, or do any dangerous activity until you know how UROXATRAL will affect you. This is especially important if you already have a problem with low blood pressure or take medicines to treat high blood pressure. There may be an increased risk of low blood pressure and fainting when taking UROXATRAL in combination with blood pressure medication or nitrates, or erectile dysfunction medication.
If considering cataract surgery (clouding of the eyes), tell your eye surgeon that you are currently taking UROXATRAL or have previously been treated with an alpha-blocker.
Before taking UROXATRAL, tell your doctor if you have kidney problems.
Also, tell your doctor if you or any family member(s) have or take medications for a rare heart condition known as congenital prolongation of the QT interval.
BPH and prostate cancer can cause the same symptoms. However, UROXATRAL is not a treatment for prostate cancer.
The most common side effects with UROXATRAL are dizziness, upper respiratory tract infection, headache, and tiredness.
Please see UROXATRAL full prescribing information.
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