Mining Surveillance Data: Does Radiation Treatment of Prostate Cancer Cause Rectal Cancer?

Prostate cancer (PC) is the most common invasive cancer diagnosed among US men. The majority of PCs are organ-confined at diagnosis making them candidates for treatment using RAD, SURG, or other protocols. Several studies have provided preliminary evidence that radiation treatment of prostate cancer may increase subsequent rectal cancer risk (1-2). Data specifying type of RAD treatment of PC was not available for the study period.

Objective:

We sought to assess whether external beam radiation (RAD) treatment of prostate cancer, that exposes the rectum to ionizing radiation, was followed by increased hazards for rectal cancer, relative to prostatectomy (SURG).