Feinberg
Northwestern Medicine | Northwestern University | Faculty Profiles

News Center

  • Categories
    • Campus News
    • Disease Discoveries
    • Clinical Breakthroughs
    • Education News
    • Scientific Advances
  • Press Release
  • Media Coverage
  • Podcasts
  • Editor’s Picks
    • COVID-19
    • Cardiology
    • Cancer
    • Neurology and Neuroscience
    • Aging and Longevity
    • Artificial Intelligence in Medicine
  • News Archives
  • About Us
    • Media Contact
    • Share Your News
    • News Feeds
    • Social Media
    • Contact Us
Menu
  • Categories
    • Campus News
    • Disease Discoveries
    • Clinical Breakthroughs
    • Education News
    • Scientific Advances
  • Press Release
  • Media Coverage
  • Podcasts
  • Editor’s Picks
    • COVID-19
    • Cardiology
    • Cancer
    • Neurology and Neuroscience
    • Aging and Longevity
    • Artificial Intelligence in Medicine
  • News Archives
  • About Us
    • Media Contact
    • Share Your News
    • News Feeds
    • Social Media
    • Contact Us
Home » Optimizing Balance of Treatments in Prostate Cancer
Clinical Breakthroughs

Optimizing Balance of Treatments in Prostate Cancer

By Will DossFeb 25, 2022
Share
Facebook Twitter Email
Ashley Ross, MD, PhD, associate professor of Urology and a member of the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University, was a co-author of the study published in JAMA Oncology.

Patients receiving radiotherapy to treat high-risk prostate cancer also benefit from androgen deprivation therapy. The ideal duration of treatment may be roughly two years if receiving external beam radiation and one year if receiving external beam radiation with a brachytherapy boost, according to a study published in JAMA Oncology.

The use of androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) combined with radiation therapy improves cancer outcomes, but comes with significant side effects including effects on the cardiovascular system, mood, lowered libido and loss of muscle mass. This forces clinicians and patients to weight benefits versus costs for use and duration of treatment with ADT, according to Ashley Ross, MD, PhD, associate professor of Urology and a co-author of the study.

“Determining the optimal balance for length of therapy is paramount,” said Ross, who is also a member of the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University.

High-risk prostate cancer is disease with the ability to progress and spread outside of the prostate. When clinically localized prostate cancer is treated with radiation, ADT, which cuts off the androgens that prostate cancer relies on, should be employed to optimize the treatment, according to Ross.  Current guidelines suggest 18 to 36 months of ADT, but given its adverse effects, it’s commonly administered in shorter durations than indicated. In the current study, investigators sought to determine minimum thresholds of effectiveness as measured by improved survival among patients with high-risk prostate cancer.

The study included one retrospective cohort and two trial cohorts, totaling more than 3,400 patients. The retrospective cohort was assembled by querying databases for patients who received ADT alongside radiotherapy, and the trial cohorts were two studies in which patients were randomized to receive varying durations of ADT alongside radiotherapy, ranging from 4 to 28 months. Patients who received radiation received therapy either with external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) alone or with external beam radiation combined with brachytherapy (seed implants).

Longer durations of ADT were associated with increased survival: Patients receiving EBRT alongside ADT for 28 months had improved survival compared with patients receiving ADT for just 18 months. This can be modified by additional therapies, according to Ross, as patients also undergoing brachytherapy may only need 12 months of ADT to see benefit. However, for other patients, 18 months should be the floor and roughly 2 years of therapy is preferred.

“For men with high-risk non-metastatic prostate cancer receiving radiation therapy, the optimal length of androgen deprivation is likely over 18 months,” Ross said. “Further research to better risk stratify subsets of men with high risk prostate cancer and identify tumors that might be more sensitive to radiation or ADT is ongoing and will lead to more individualized therapeutic regimens that balance cancer control with overall morbidity and quality of life.”

Cancer Research
Share. Facebook Twitter Email

Related Posts

Shortage of Mental Health Professionals Linked to Increase in Youth Suicides

Jan 25, 2023

Understanding How Childhood Brain Tumors Develop

Jan 23, 2023

Medical School Establishes New Center for Psychiatric Neuroscience

Jan 19, 2023

Comments are closed.

Latest News

Changes in Medical School Leadership

Jan 26, 2023

Shortage of Mental Health Professionals Linked to Increase in Youth Suicides

Jan 25, 2023

Northwestern Medicine Scholars Program Inspires a New Generation of Physicians and Scientists 

Jan 24, 2023

Understanding How Childhood Brain Tumors Develop

Jan 23, 2023

Medical School Establishes New Center for Psychiatric Neuroscience

Jan 19, 2023
  • News Center Home
  • Categories
  • Press Release
  • Media Coverage
  • Editor’s Picks
  • News Archives
  • About Us
Flickr Photos
Feinberg_In_Vivo_20221209_tcrawford-24
Feinberg_In_Vivo_20221209_tcrawford-16
Feinberg_In_Vivo_20221209_tcrawford-14
Feinberg_In_Vivo_20221209_tcrawford-5
Feinberg_In_Vivo_20221209_tcrawford-6
Feinberg_In_Vivo_20221209_tcrawford-10
Feinberg_In_Vivo_20221209_tcrawford-8
Feinberg_In_Vivo_20221209_tcrawford-18
Feinberg_In_Vivo_20221209_tcrawford
Feinberg_In_Vivo_20221209_tcrawford-23
Feinberg_In_Vivo_20221209_tcrawford-25
Feinberg_In_Vivo_20221209_tcrawford-26

Northwestern University logo

Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

RSS Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Flickr YouTube Instagram
Copyright © 2023 Northwestern University
  • Contact Northwestern University
  • Disclaimer
  • Campus Emergency Information
  • Policy Statements

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.