Androgen deprivation monotherapy usage in non-metastatic prostate cancer: results from eight European countries

Key Words: prostate cancer androgen deprivation therapy castration levels European Association of Urology guidelines testosterone INTRODUCTION Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) is fundamental to the management of advanced and/or metastatic prostate cancer (PC), with consistent, long-term benefits for quality of life and survival observed [1-5]. Evidence-based treatment guidelines for PC, such as those recently published jointly by the European Association of Urology (EAU), the European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology (ESTRO), the European Society of Urogenital Radiology (ESUR) and the International Society of Geriatric Oncology (SIOG) [5], are key determinants of treatment practices in patients with PC. There is also evidence that the increase in expectant management approaches relative to radiation therapy or surgery over the last decade may be driven partly by increased uptake of active surveillance among low- and intermediate-risk patients [10]. [...]a recent US survey of patients with localized PC reported that expectant management increased between 2004 and 2013 relative to radiation therapy and radical prostatectomy [10].