The recent study in the International Journal of Radiation Oncology/Biology/Physics showed that survival rates are nearly the same among prostate cancer patients treated with surgery, permanent seed implantation, high-dose external beam radiotherapy and combined seed/external beam radiotherapy. The outcomes were less favorable for patients treated with low-dose external beam radiotherapy.
With many therapeutic choices now available to patients, experts count on the findings to help minimize the guesswork for patients seeking the right treatment.
"We hope that this study will help men and their families make the best choice for their cancer and lifestyle," said Dr. Patrick A. Kupelian, the study's lead author and a radiation oncologist at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center Orlando in Orlando, Fla.
Cancer experts have long promoted certain forms of external beam radiotherapy, a series of painless, outpatient treatments that deliver radiation dosages with accuracy. Radiation beams - produced in high or low doses - hone in on the tumor while keeping radiation away from nearby organs such as the bladder or rectum. Potential side effects include fatigue, increased frequency or discomfort in urination, and loose stools.
Another treatment championed by experts is seed implantation, also called brachytherapy. Typically performed in the operating room while the patient is sedated, brachytherapy emits high doses of radiation through radioactive seeds inserted in or near the prostate gland. Side effects are similar to those from external beam radiotherapy and typically fade over time.
Prostate cancer is the most common malignancy in American men, with an incidence that increases with age. According to the American Cancer Society, men aged 50 and older should get a digital rectal exam and a prostate-specific blood test regularly to test for the disease. Black men - who have the highest incidence of prostate cancer - and men with a family history of the disease should be examined at an earlier age.
Although prostate cancer typically has no symptoms, health experts urge all men to recognize the cancer's signs, which include changes in urinary flow, frequent nighttime urination, painful urination and blood in the urine.
