Normal PSA Suggests Cure After Radiation
|
|
Consistently Normal PSA Levels Suggest Cure After Radiation for Prostate Cancer WESTPORT, Oct 19 (Reuters Health) - Prostate cancer patients treated with external beam radiation therapy are highly likely to be cured if they do not experience biochemical failure within 5 years of treatment, Michigan researchers report. Dr. Larry L. Kestin and colleagues, from William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Michigan, reviewed the records of 871 patients with localized prostate cancer. All patients had received monotherapy with conventional doses of external beam radiation. All study subjects underwent prostate specific antigen testing 1 month after completing treatment, as well as every 3 to 6 months for a median of 5 years. In line with the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology Consensus Panel, Dr. Kestin's team defined biochemical failure as three consecutive rises in serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) following a nadir. The authors found that "...patients who achieve a PSA nadir [less than or equal to] 0.4 ng/mL and require [at least] 2.0 years to reach this nadir appear to have a very high probability of cure." "Patients with lower pretreatment PSA levels and lower Gleason scores may require longer follow-up than those with less favorable characteristics to achieve the same certainty of cure," the researchers note in the October 15th issue of Cancer. Dr. Kestin's group cautions against extrapolation of the findings to patients receiving higher doses of radiotherapy and to those treated with adjuvant androgen deprivation. However, the authors believe that ".. these results provide a practical guide to advise patients when or whether they can be considered cured of their malignancy." Cancer 1999;86:1557-1566. -Westport Newsroom 203 319 2700
|
|
Send mail to HulaMoore@hawaii.rr.com
with questions or comments about this web site.
|
Aloha From Hawaii!
M