"Men who have had prostate radiation should be aggressively monitored for rectal cancer starting five years after treatment," said Nancy Baxter, MD, PhD, lead study author with the University of Minnesota Cancer Center. "This is the first time rectal cancer risk associated with prostate radiation has been quantified, and these findings may also have implications for patients treated with radiation for other pelvic cancers."
Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed malignancy in the United States. Although there is a high rate of survival associated with prostate cancer, a large number of men are left at risk for long-term consequences of their cancer treatment, including the development of other cancers.
Researchers at the University of Minnesota Cancer Center used data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) Registry to evaluate the effect of radiation on development of cancer in the rectum. More than 85,000 men, age 18 to 80, were included in this retrospective, population-based study. Radiation therapy for prostate cancer has been associated with an increased rate of pelvic malignancies, particularly bladder cancer. Findings of this study suggest that direct radiation to the rectum increases the risk of developing rectal cancer, but does not affect the risk of cancer in other parts of the colon.
"While the findings of our study do not suggest that prostate
'"/>
Contact: Kimberly Wise
media@gastro.org
301-941-2620
American Gastroenterological Association
1-Apr-2005