title: Prostate radiation in non-metastatic castrate refractory prostate cancer provides an interesting insight into biology of prostate cancer.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The natural history of non-metastatic castrate refractory prostate cancer is unknown and treatment options are limited. We present a retrospective review of 13 patients with locally advanced or high risk prostate cancer, initially treated with hormone monotherapy and then treated with prostate radiation after becoming castration refractory.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Median PSA response following prostate radiation was 67.4%. Median time to biochemical progression following radiotherapy was 15 months and to detection of metastatic disease was 18.5 months. Median survival from castration resistance (to date of death or November 2011) was 60 months, with median survival from RT 42 months.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Prostate radiation appears to be beneficial even in patients with potential micrometastatic disease, which supports the hypothesis that the primary tumour is important in the progression of prostate cancer. These results are an interesting addition to the literature on the biology of prostate cancer especially as this data is unlikely to be available in the future due to combined prostate radiation and androgen deprivation therapy now being the standard of care.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, Nottingham University Hospitals, City Hospital Campus, Nottingham, UK. abigail.pascoe@nhs.net
authors.forename: Abigail C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Pascoe
authors.forename: Santhanam
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sundar
mesh_terms: D000726:Androgen Antagonists / Q000627:therapeutic use; D018931:Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002369:Castration; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D019008:Drug Resistance, Neoplasm; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen / Q000097:blood; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000401:mortality* / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D012008:Recurrence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016879:Salvage Therapy / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D000726:Androgen Antagonists; D018931:Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal; D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen