Guidelines updated for radiation therapy after prostatectomy
The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) and the American Urological Association (AUA) have updated their clinical guidelines for adjuvant and salvage radiotherapy following prostatectomy.
Published in the Journal of Urology and Practical Radiation Oncology, “The Adjuvant and Salvage Radiotherapy after Prostatectomy: ASTRO/AUA Guideline” applies to patients with and without evidence of prostate cancer recurrence.
Below are amendments taken from the new guidelines:
- The guidelines incorporate the newest data from three randomized controlled trials evaluating adjuvant radiotherapy, including long-term findings form the ARO 96-02 trial.
- New recommendations suggest patients with adverse pathologic findings including seminal vesicle invasion, positive surgical margins and extraprostatic extension should be told that—compared to radical prostatectomy alone—adjuvant radiotherapy reduces the risk of biochemical recurrence, local recurrence and clinical progression of cancer.
- A new guideline incorporates data from two randomized controlled trials—RTOG 9601 and GETUG-AFU 16—that found strong evidence to suggest hormonal therapy should be offered to patients who are candidates for salvage radiotherapy.
- Clinicians should offer hormonal therapy coupled with radiotherapy to patients who are eligible for salvage radiation therapy. Research may eventually allow personalized selection of hormonal or other therapies within subsets of patients.
Read the entire guidelines here.
Matt joined Chicago’s TriMed team in 2018 covering all areas of health imaging after two years reporting on the hospital field. He holds a bachelor’s in English from UIC, and enjoys a good cup of coffee and an interesting documentary.