Dr. Sandler Describes the RTOG 9408 Trial Results

Howard M. Sandler, MD, Chair, Radiation Oncology, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, discusses the results of the large randomized phase III RTOG 9408 trial, which examined the combination of short-term hormone therapy in combination with radiation therapy for men with early-stage prostate cancer.

The trial randomized approximately 2000 men with both low and intermediate risk of prostate cancer progression to receive radiation therapy alone or in combination with hormone therapy. Survival was increased for intermediate risk patients that received both hormone and radiation, while those at low-risk did not demonstrate any benefit with the addition of hormone therapy.

The RTOG 9408 trial established that short-term hormone therapy combined with radiation therapy is the best approach for intermediate risk patients with prostate cancer.