Prostate cancer patients live longer when given goserelin immediately following radiotherapy, according to a new long-term study by the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group, a clinical research component of the American College of Radiology. David Grignon, M.D., WSU chair of pathology, served as one of the study's authors.

The publication in the April issue of the International Journal of Radiation Oncology Biology Physics, details the 10-year results of a national multicenter clinical trial that enrolled nearly 1,000 patients with locally advanced prostate cancer. The RTOG study, one of the longest and largest studies of its type, concluded that administering goserelin following radiotherapy reduces the progression of prostate cancer and significantly improves survival.

The RTOG study showed that the chance of survival 10 years after treatment was 10 percent higher for men who received goserelin immediately following their radiation therapy for locally advanced prostate cancer rather than beginning hormonal therapy only upon tumor progression (49 percent vs. 39 percent). Likewise, local progression was reduced from 38 percent to 22 percent for men receiving adjuvant goserelin.

Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in men in the United States with over 230,000 new cases expected this year; it is the second leading cause of death due to cancer.

The RTOG study evaluated the effectiveness of administering goserelin to patients with prostate cancer treated with radiotherapy. Nearly 1,000 patients with locally advanced prostate cancer received either radiotherapy followed by monthly adjuvant goserelin 3.6 mg, or radiotherapy alone followed by observation and goserelin administration at relapse.