Radiation Therapy for Prostate Cancer

Prostate cancer is the most common form of cancer affecting men. The American Cancer Society estimates that this year more than 185,000 men will receive a diagnosis of prostate cancer, and more than 28,000 will die of the disease.

Yet, common though prostate cancer is, there is a surprising lack of solid data on the effectiveness of treatments such as radiation that are routinely offered to men with prostate cancer. Because there have been so few well-designed randomized, controlled clinical trials, particularly for patients with early, localized prostate cancer, patients and their caregivers must often make treatment decisions based on limited and inadequate information.

This 33-page report is designed to help prostate cancer patients understand how radiation is used in the treatment of prostate cancer, and to provide patients with the tools they need in order to make a careful, informed assessment of whether or not radiation therapy is likely to be the treatment of choice in their particular case.