Dr. Parker on Radiotherapy in Metastatic Prostate Cancer

Chris Parker, MD, consultant clinical oncologist, The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, discusses the role of radiotherapy in metastatic prostate cancer.

Men with newly diagnosed metastatic prostate cancer have traditionally been treated with androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) or chemotherapy, says Parker. In terms of surgery and radiotherapy, these modalities are only used in the palliative setting. However, preclinical models have suggested that radiation to the primary cancer can slow down metastases and improve survival in patients.

In the STAMPEDE study presented at the 2018 ESMO Congress, patients were randomized to receive either ADT or ADT with radiation. While the addition of radiation seemed to have no immediate impact on the general cohort of patients, overall survival in a subgroup analysis of patients with a low metastatic burden was improved by 30%. Parker, lead author of the phase III study, concludes that radiotherapy should be a standard treatment option for these patients.