Drug may boost prostate cancer survival

Prostate cancer patients treated with the hormonal drug Zoladex immediately after radiation therapy live longer than men who wait to take the drug, researchers said Friday.

Zoladex, sold by AstraZeneca Plc, reduces levels of sex hormones -- testosterone in men and estrogen in women --and is also used to treat hormone-dependent breast cancer in pre-menopausal women.

Side effects of the drug include potential bone loss and loss of libido, said Dr. Howard Sandler, chairman of the American College of Radiology’s genito-urinary cancer committee.

A 10-year study, involving 977 patients with locally-advanced prostate cancer, was carried out by the clinical research arm of the radiology group.

The study showed that 49 percent of men treated with Zoladex immediately after radiation therapy were alive 10 years later, compared with 39 percent of men who waited until their tumors got worse before taking the drug.

In addition to the improvement in survival, only 22 percent of the men who took Zoladex immediately after radiation saw their tumors increase in size, compared with 38 percent of the men who delayed taking the drug.

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCBP leaders cut out of Trump ad buy decision

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAmerican passenger drafted goodbye texts to her family as Flydubai plane plummeted

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCornell rape allegation pushes embattled New York prosecutor into national spotlight

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAbdul El-Sayed tries to woo MAHA voters as Democrats seek inroads with RFK’s supporters

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKratom-like substances are popping up in a typically benign supplement

FOR SUBSCRIBERSGOP super PAC increases its spending for Sen. Jon Husted in tough Ohio race

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRecords reveal tumultuous marriage between slain New York Times executive and wife

FOR SUBSCRIBERSFrom clean energy warrior to ‘wall of shame,’ James Talarico reverses on a fossil fuel money pledge

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCongressional staff planned official trip with luxury stops in Italy and France weeks before election

FOR SUBSCRIBERSA harrowing ordeal aboard an Israel-bound plane

FOR SUBSCRIBERSOpenAI CEO Sam Altman to skip congressional hearing on rogue AI agents

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKey DOJ lawyers departed Trump ‘grand conspiracy’ probe amid pressure to produce, source says

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump’s new AI chatbot often links to a site launched under Clinton 26 years ago

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAt MAHA summit, industry CEOs the movement once vilified take the stage

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThis Paralympian has two goals: Win medals and give away $500,000 to her teammates

The study was published in the April issue of the International Journal of Radiation Oncology Biology Physics.

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCBP leaders cut out of Trump ad buy decision

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAmerican passenger drafted goodbye texts to her family as Flydubai plane plummeted

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCornell rape allegation pushes embattled New York prosecutor into national spotlight

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAbdul El-Sayed tries to woo MAHA voters as Democrats seek inroads with RFK’s supporters

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKratom-like substances are popping up in a typically benign supplement

FOR SUBSCRIBERSGOP super PAC increases its spending for Sen. Jon Husted in tough Ohio race

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRecords reveal tumultuous marriage between slain New York Times executive and wife

FOR SUBSCRIBERSFrom clean energy warrior to ‘wall of shame,’ James Talarico reverses on a fossil fuel money pledge

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCongressional staff planned official trip with luxury stops in Italy and France weeks before election

FOR SUBSCRIBERSA harrowing ordeal aboard an Israel-bound plane

FOR SUBSCRIBERSOpenAI CEO Sam Altman to skip congressional hearing on rogue AI agents

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKey DOJ lawyers departed Trump ‘grand conspiracy’ probe amid pressure to produce, source says

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump’s new AI chatbot often links to a site launched under Clinton 26 years ago

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAt MAHA summit, industry CEOs the movement once vilified take the stage

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThis Paralympian has two goals: Win medals and give away $500,000 to her teammates

“Men diagnosed with prostate cancer can now expect to live longer and live a life free from a recurrence of their disease,” Dr. Colleen Lawton of the Medical College of Wisconsin, a co-author of the study, said in a statement.

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, after lung cancer.