Dr. Ward on the Debate Over Adjuvant Radiation Therapy in Prostate Cancer

Matthew C. Ward, MD, radiation oncologist, Levine Cancer Institute, Atrium Health, discusses the debate over adjuvant radiation therapy in prostate cancer.

Ultimately, the goal of radiation therapy is to ensure a patient with prostate cancer remains disease free following prostatectomy, says Ward. Moreover, utilizing prostate-specific antigen expression as a biomarker can inform whether a patient’s disease is recurring, Ward explains.

Adjuvant radiation therapy can offer a potentially curative approach to treating patients before they develop measurable disease, says Ward. Additionally, adjuvant radiation therapy can prevent patients from getting lost to follow-up, Ward adds. However, data suggest that about twice as many men who receive adjuvant radiation therapy are actually in need of additional therapy after surgery, Ward says. As such, overtreatment is a key point in the argument against adjuvant radiation therapy, concludes Ward.