title: Six-month androgen suppression plus radiation therapy compared with radiation therapy alone for men with prostate cancer and a rapidly increasing pretreatment prostate-specific antigen level.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We evaluated whether treatment with 6 months of androgen-suppression therapy (AST) and radiation therapy (RT) compared with RT was associated with the time to prostate-specific antigen (PSA) recurrence, prostate cancer-specific mortality (PCSM), and all-cause mortality (ACM) in men with a pretreatment PSA velocity more than 2 ng/mL/yr.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study cohort comprised 241 men with clinically localized or locally advanced prostate cancer treated with RT and AST or RT from 1989 to 2002. Cox regression and Gray's formulation were used to assess whether treatment was associated significantly with the time to PSA recurrence or ACM and PCSM, respectively, adjusting for known prognostic factors.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Despite the significantly longer median follow-up, younger age at diagnosis, higher proportion of Gleason score 7 to 10, and advanced T-category cancers, significantly lower estimates of PSA recurrence (P < .001), PCSM (P = .007), and ACM (P < .001) were observed in men who were treated using RT and AST compared with RT. Treatment with RT and AST compared with RT was associated with a longer time to PSA recurrence (adjusted hazard ratio [HR], 0.22; 95% CI, 0.14 to 0.35; P < .001), PCSM (HR, 0.23, 95% CI, 0.09 to 0.64; P = .005), and ACM (HR, 0.30; 95% CI, 0.16 to 0.58; P < .001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Treatment using 6 months of AST and RT compared with RT in men with a pretreatment PSA velocity greater than 2 ng/mL/yr was associated with a longer time to PSA recurrence, PCSM, and ACM.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215, USA. adamico@lroc.harvard.edu
authors.forename: Anthony V
authors.initials: AV
authors.lastname: D'Amico
authors.forename: Marian
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Loffredo
authors.forename: Andrew A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Renshaw
authors.forename: Brittany
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Loffredo
authors.forename: Ming-Hui
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000726:Androgen Antagonists / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D018931:Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D017024:Chemotherapy, Adjuvant; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016017:Odds Ratio; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen / Q000097:blood*; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology / Q000401:mortality / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D018714:Radiotherapy, Adjuvant; D016019:Survival Analysis; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000726:Androgen Antagonists; D018931:Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal; D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen