Men deserve to be fully informed about all available treatment options

A new Australian radiation oncology study shows prostate cancer patients are more likely to regret choosing surgery than they are radiation therapy. The study’s results are particularly important given the fact that both radiation therapy and surgery deliver equal results, yet radiation therapy (often a more cost-effective option), is under-used in prostate cancer treatment.

The results of the study will be presented by lead researcher A/Prof. Thomas Shakespeare at the 67th Annual Scientific Meeting of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists (RANZCR) held on the Gold Coast today.

The study was conducted across a number of NSW-based cancer institutions and hospitals and surveyed patients who had undergone prostate surgery, but then required post-operative radiation therapy in order to cure the patients. It reviewed their long terms results (more than 5 years following radiation therapy) and assessed whether patients regretted their treatment.

Results showed patients rarely regretted undergoing radiation therapy (4.2%), compared to over 1 in 6 (16.9%) who regretted receiving surgery (radical prostatectomy). This result contradicts the common misconception of surgeons that side-effects associated with radiation therapy are not worth the risk to the patient. In fact it was the side-effects associated with surgery that caused the most regret.

Radiation therapy, which targets cancer cells using high energy focused x-ray beams, is an alternative to surgery for prostate cancer patients. The cure rates, survival, and quality of life after radiation therapy are equal to that of surgery.

National guidelines are currently in place recommending surgeons to advise and refer suitable patients who have undergone surgery to seek advice from a radiation oncologist for follow-up. However due to a lack of awareness there are some cases where these guidelines are not followed, and patients who might benefit from radiation therapy treatment following surgery are not made aware of this option.

Radiation oncologists, who are the specialists in radiation therapy, are urging men with prostate cancer to ask whether radiation therapy is an option for them – either before their prostate is removed, or after surgery. This study supports men approaching their GP about getting a referral to a radiation oncologist, to make a more informed decision about the most appropriate treatment option for them.

Lead researcher A/Prof. Tom Shakespeare says, “The key to reducing decision regret is allowing patients to make the most informed choice possible. Our study showed that many patients who regretted surgery did so because the patient did not receive enough information about radiation therapy as an equal alternative to surgery and were not referred for a radiation oncology opinion. Patients also commonly regretted surgery due to side-effects, as well as surgery not getting all the cancer out. Some patients also regretted having surgery due to the cost of the operation.”

“What many people don’t realise is that radiation therapy and surgery deliver equivalent results for patients. There is even a lack of awareness within the wider healthcare professional community.

Radiation therapy can often be given at a fraction of the cost of surgery, and in public hospitals patients receive radiation therapy at no out-of-pocket cost at all.”

“This research highlights the importance of radiation therapy as a treatment option available to men with prostate cancer in Australia. We need agreement from all medical professionals involved in treatment to consider it for patients. We advocate that all patients diagnosed with localised prostate cancer be referred to a radiation oncologist by either their general practitioner or urologist surgeons”.

For more information on the The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists 67th Annual Scientific Meeting or to review the scientific program visit http://www.ranzcr2016.com/.