One of the thorniest dilemmas posed by prostate cancer is whether, and when, to give radiation therapy—with its potential bad side effects—to men after surgery to remove the prostate gland. Now, three new randomized clinical trials—the gold-standard type of study—and a statistical “meta-analysis” of their results conclude that routinely giving post-surgical radiation does not improve outcomes after five years, compared with giving radiation only if the PSA (prostate-specific antigen) blood test signals a cancer recurrence. The papers were published last month in the Lancet and Lancet Oncology. More read
