In men with localized or locally advanced prostate cancer, treatment with the antiandrogen bicalutamide (Casodex; AstraZeneca, Wilmington, Delaware), either alone or as part of a curative regimen, significantly reduces the risk of disease progression, according to a recent report.
The current findings are in agreement with those from a smaller study published last year that linked bicalutamide use with a 43% reduction in the risk of disease progression (see Reuters Health report September 13, 2001). Shortly after the release of these findings, the drug was approved as a treatment for early prostate cancer in the UK (see Reuters Health report September 17, 2001).
However, the benefits of the drug must be weighed against the morbidity of long-term hormonal therapy, study author Dr. William A. See, from the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee, and colleagues note. Also, longer follow-up is needed to determine if the reduced risk of disease progression translates into a survival benefit.
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