Commentary on a multi-institutional analysis of external beam radiotherapy for T1–T2 prostate cancer: “love the one you're with” and “do the right thing”
2003; Elsevier BV; Volume: 57; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1016/s0360-3016(03)01619-5
ISSN1879-355X
Autores Tópico(s)Statistical Methods in Clinical Trials
ResumoYogi Berra said, “You can observe a lot by just watching.” In these two papers, Drs. Kuban and Thames made observations about prostate cancer outcomes after EBRT alone. To do this, they rounded up data from “the usual suspects” and provide for the radiotherapy community an updated view of where we stand in using PSA to define outcomes after EBRT for T1-T2 disease. By virtue of the sheer number of patients involved, the duration of follow-up, and the statistical power applied, these studies will provide a new standard source of reference for many years to come. It is my challenging charge to write one editorial that covers both papers that does more than congratulates these investigators for “a job well done.” What have these two studies contributed to the growing body of information on prostate cancer? I attempt to provoke readers to become acutely conscious of what conclusions we should most comfortably accept, and which conclusions should be viewed most cautiously. I will also raise important issues that are left unanswered by these reports and then take the liberty of speculating on where we must go from here.
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