Among men who have undergone radical surgery for advanced prostate cancer, early radiation therapy improves long-term survival, according to a report from Italy.

Dr. Cesare Cozzarini and colleagues from San Raffaele H Scientific Institute in Milan looked at survival in relation to causes of death among 415 patients who underwent radical prostate surgery. The men were given radiation either within 6 months or when their cancer was seen to be returning, or no radiation.

The percentage of men who survived eight years free of recurrence was markedly higher among those who received early radiation therapy (69 percent) than among patients given “salvage” or no radiation therapy (31 percent), the authors report in the International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics.

After adjusting for various factors that could affect survival, the team found that patients who received salvage or no radiation therapy were 4.3-times more likely to die from prostate cancer than were patients who received early radiation therapy.

Overall, 13 percent of patients experienced some acute side effects from radiation treatment and 11 percent experienced some late side effects, but no very serious complication occurred.

Cozzarini’s group concludes that radiation treatment seems to benefit prostate cancer patients with a usually poor prognosis, but the results are less than definitive because of the look-back nature of the study.

Large ongoing clinical trials should give the final answer.

SOURCE: International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics,  2004.