This trial, the largest of its kind, involved about 1,200 men who were randomly chosen to receive hormone therapy alone or a combination of that and radiation.
An initial review at six years suggested that those taking the combination therapy had a 43 percent reduced risk of dying from prostate cancer, while side effects were not "major," Mason said. "If the figures from the interim analysis are similar to the final analysis, we would expect a 43 percent reduction in the chances of death from prostate cancer in men with this regimen," he said.
"We feel these results are practice changing," Mason added. "The standard treatment for localized, high-risk prostate cancer for people who are fit for radiotherapy should be a combination of hormone therapy plus radiotherapy."
Experts note that studies presented at scientific meetings do not face the same peer-review scrutiny as those published in reputable journals.
More information
The U.S. National Cancer Institute has more on prostate cancer.
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