Is Hormone Therapy Always Needed with Postoperative Radiotherapy for Prostate Cancer?

Radiotherapy in combination with hormone therapy has long been a standard of care for men with high-risk prostate cancer. However, the role of hormone therapy is unclear in men with recurrent disease after prostatectomy who are undergoing postoperative radiotherapy (PORT); only one study has demonstrated an overall survival (OS) benefit. Now, investigators report the results of an individual patient data meta-analysis involving 6057 patients from 6 randomized trials with a median follow-up of 10 years. The meta-analysis evaluated the benefit of adding either short- or long-term (24 months) hormone therapy to PORT. The primary outcome measure was overall survival.