Endocrine therapy for recurrence after definitive radiotherapy in patients with prostate cancer.
BACKGROUND
Long-term results were analyzed to evaluate the role of endocrine therapy in the management of local and distant recurrence of prostate cancer following external radiation therapy.


METHODS
Between 1976 and 1994, 92 patients with untreated prostate cancer underwent external beam radiation therapy alone. Endocrine therapy had been started when relapse was evident.


RESULTS
Failure was seen in 35 of 92 patients: 10 local, 19 distant and six biochemical failures. Endocrine treatment was performed in 28 patients with nine local and 19 distant failures. The cancer-specific survival rate from the endocrine treatment was 54.5% at 5 years. Prostate-specific antigen level in 20 of 20 patients (100%) decreased to below the normal limit 3 months after the start of endocrine therapy. In univariate analysis, T classification was the most significant variable for cancer-specific survival from the initial treatment.


CONCLUSIONS
A favorable outcome was achieved by endocrine therapy in patients who had relapsed after external beam radiation monotherapy. Even the recurrent tumor had a sensitivity to androgen. Patients with locally advanced disease (T2b and T3) had poorer prognosis than those with minimally extended disease (T1b and T2a).
Furuya
Y
Y
Department of Urology, Chiba University School of Medicine, Chiba, Japan. furuyayu@med.teikyo-u.ac.jp
Akakura
K
K
Tanaka
M
M
Ichikawa
T
T
Igarashi
T
T
Murakami
S
S
Ito
H
H
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000726:Androgen Antagonists / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000628:therapy*; D009919:Orchiectomy; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000628:therapy*
D000726:Androgen Antagonists