Radiotherapy for local progression in patients with hormone-refractory prostate cancer

Purpose: The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of radiotherapy on the local progression of hormone-refractory prostate cancer. Methods: From 1986 to 1995, 38 patients were diagnosed with local progression without distant progression after hormonal therapy at Chiba University Hospital. Eleven cases were treated with irradiation for local progression. External beam irradiation was delivered to the prostate at a dose of 50-66.6 Gy. Results: In patients treated with radiotherapy, the duration from initial treatment to local recurrence was 6-80 months (mean +/- SD: 33.9 +/- 22.9 months). The follow-up period after irradiation was 7-64 months (mean +/- SD: 25.4 +/- 18.8 months). Three and 5 year cause-specific survival rates from radiotherapy were 46.2 and 23.1%, respectively. Radiotherapy had a marked effect on symptoms associated with local progression and no patients suffered from the symptoms after the radiotherapy. Complications of radiotherapy were limited. Conclusions: In patients with hormone refractory local progression without distant progression, low morbidity, low mortality radiotherapy offers a variable therapy to other palliative treatments because radiotherapy is able to control local symptoms for a long period of time.