Combo Treatment Halves Prostate Death Rates: Study

Researchers say using radiation plus hormones should be worldwide practice

By Rob Quinn, Newser Staff

Posted Dec 16, 2008 6:45 AM CST

(Newser) – Using radiation therapy in combination with hormone treatment can double the survival rate of patients with advanced prostate cancer, a new European study finds. Of those men given only standard drugs, 24% died after 10 years, compared to less than 12% of those given both treatments. Combined treatment is already standard in the US and the researchers say it should become standard worldwide, WebMD reports.

The study focused on patients whose cancer had broken out from the wall of the prostate gland, but not advanced much further. Subjects being treated with radiation in addition to hormones suffered significantly more from diarrhea, the researchers wrote in the journal Lancet Oncology, but 85% of patients said the side effects were acceptable.

[Images (2)]

[Quotes (1)]

Prostate cancer is the second-leading cancer killer of men, killing 221,000 worldwide every year. (AP GRAPHIC)

Fighting advanced prostate cancer with a combination of hormone therapy and radiation treatment dramatically cuts death rates, researchers say. (Shutter Stock)

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

The results should change current practice, making long-term hormonal therapy plus radical radiotherapy the standard of care for men with locally advanced prostate cancer. - Dr. Chris Parker and Dr. Alex Tan of Britain's Institute of Cancer Research

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

To report an error on this story, notify our editors.

More Newser Stories

Critical Cancer Drug Running Out

Childhood leukemia victims run low on methotrexate

(NEWSER) - Bad news for Americans with childhood leukemia: A critical medicine used to treat the disease is so hard to find that hundreds or thousands of kids could die, the New York Times reports. Methotrexate, typically used to treat leukemia in children aged 2 to 5, fell into short supply after an Ohio company stopped making it due to "manufacturing and quality concerns." Says an FDA official: "This is dire. Supplies are just not meeting demand.” More»

New Cancer Fighter: Cooked Tomatoes

Heinz-backed research highlights lycopene

(NEWSER) - Good news, but only if you like tomatoes: The chemical that makes them red helps fight prostate cancer, a study suggests. In a lab, lycopene was shown to stop cancer cells from attaching to a blood supply. The process can delay the cells' growth, and even kill them, the Telegraph reports. "'This simple chemical reaction was shown to occur at lycopene concentrations that can easily be achieved by eating processed tomatoes," said one of the researchers in Britain. More»

Drug Combos Hailed as Big Breast Cancer Breakthrough

New drug combos delay tumor growth in advanced cases

(NEWSER) - Two new studies mark what could be the biggest breakthrough in treating breast cancer in more than a decade, researchers say. Both involve combining drug therapies that attack tumors in different ways, significantly delaying the time until women with advanced breast cancer became sicker, the AP reports. One treatment held tumor growth at bay for around six months longer than conventional treatments; the other delayed it for four months longer. More»

New Radiation Pill Slams Cancer Cells

Patients have 30% lower death rate

(NEWSER) - Doctors in London have stopped a cancer drug trial because it was so successful, the Telegraph reports. They said it would have been "unethical" to give any of the 922 participants a placebo for their prostate cancer. The drug in the trial targets tumors with alpha radiation, which the doctors say is effective because it damages tumors more than typical beta particles, and causes less harm to surrounding tissue. More»

Researchers Fight Cancer With Bacteria Found in Soil

C. sporogenes can activate drugs in cancer, leave body unharmed

(NEWSER) - A bacterium found in soil could be a useful tool in fighting many types of cancer, reports the BBC . The Clostridium sporogenes bacterium, a relative to botulism and tetanus, produces spores that only grow when there is no oxygen. The human body is full of oxygen, but solid cancer tumors, such as those in the brain, breast, and prostate, are oxygen-free, so researchers can make anti-cancer drugs that only activate in those tumors thanks to enzymes produced by those bacteria. More»

NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS

What is Newser?

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser, we choose the most thought-provoking and entertaining stories from hundreds of US and international sources and reduce them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

Learn more »

Partnering with: Slate

View Newser on the mobile website

Combo Treatment Halves Prostate Death Rates: Study