18 Sep Intermittent Androgen Deprivation May Improve QoL in Prostate Cancer
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Sindy Magnan, MD, MSc, FRCPC
Division of Radiation Oncology, Department of Medicine
CHU de Québe Université Laval
Québec City, Québec, Canada
Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Dr. Magnan : Androgen deprivation is the standard therapy for patients with advanced or recurrent prostate cancer. Intermittent administration of this treatment could offer several advantages over the standard continuous administration by delaying the development of castration-resistant disease and by reducing the drugs’ adverse effects. However, this mode of administration remains controversial. We thus conducted a systematic review with meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials to compare the effectiveness and tolerability of intermittent versus continuous androgen deprivation. Intermittent therapy was non-inferior to continuous therapy with respect to overall survival. No major difference in global quality of life was observed between the two interventions, but some quality-of-life criteria, mainly in relation with physical and sexual functioning, seemed improved with intermittent therapy.
Medical Research: What should clinicians and patients take away from your report?
Dr. Magnan : Intermittent androgen deprivation can be considered as an alternative therapeutic option in patients with prostate cancer. However, further research is needed before it becomes the standard of care.
Medical Research: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this study?
Dr. Magnan : Future research should focus on assessing the impact of disease stage on treatment efficacy, particularly in the sub-group of patients with metastatic disease, and clarifying the optimal approach to the duration of on and off-treatment periods.
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Sindy Magnan, MD, MSc, FRCPC (2015). Intermittent Androgen Deprivation May Improve QOL for Prostate Cancer Patients
Last Updated on September 18, 2015 by Marie Benz MD FAAD