HOW IS ANDROGEN-DEPENDENT METASTATIC PROSTATE-CANCER BEST TREATED

The median survival for men with systemic metastases from prostate can cer ranges between 2 and 3 years, depending primarily on the extent of disease at diagnosis. Androgen deprivation has been the mainstay of t herapy since Huggins demonstrated its utility in 1941. It can be accom plished surgically or medically with essentially equivalent results. N ewer modalities, such as combined androgen blockade, intermittent andr ogen blockade, and chemohormonal therapy, have not been shown to impro ve survival consistently. Subsets of patients, however, may derive add itional benefit from these innovative therapies.