Prostatic carcinoma: complications of megavoltage radiation therapy

Megavoltage radiation therapy and radical prostatectomy are at present the only curative treatments for prostatic carcinoma. Because a high complication rate appeared to follow radiotherapy, all patients with prostatic carcinoma presenting to a Danish provincial hospital between 1975 and 1980 were reviewed. Of 31 radiation-treated patients, 23 had serious complications. No recurrence was noted in eight patients. Twenty-three had a recurrence despite radiotherapy but 11 of these patients had no local recurrence. In view of the high level of complications following radiation therapy and the high incidence of latent carcinomas in the prostate gland, a cautious approach to radiotherapy is recommended.