Anti-Androgen Treatment for Prostate Cancer May Lower Risk of Recurrence

Contradicting previous studies, a new trial shows that using anti-androgen treatment immediately after prostate cancer surgery sharply lowers cancer recurrence and deaths. Conventional wisdom now says that such therapy should not be begun unless the cancer recurs. Anti-androgen treatment blocks the secretion of male hormones, which promote prostate cancer growth in some men.

A team headed by Dr. Edward M. Messing of the University of Rochester Medical Center studied 47 men who received immediate treatment and 51 who received conventional therapy. They report in today’s New England Journal of Medicine that, after 7 years of follow-up, seven of the men in the early treatment group had died, compared to 18 in the conventional treatment group. An editorial in the same journal, however, notes that other ongoing trials are showing no benefits from early therapy and recommends that physicians not alter their treatment programs.

Compiled by Times medical writer Thomas H. Maugh II