# RTOG 9408: radiotherapy with short-term androgen deprivation for localised prostate cancer

Source: https://onco.cc/key-papers/paper-rtog-9408-short-term-adt-jones-nejm-2011/  
OnCo record `paper-rtog-9408-short-term-adt-jones-nejm-2011` (Key paper). Data CC BY-NC 4.0, attribute "Data from OnCo (onco.cc)"; commercial use needs a licence.

## TL;DR

Four months of hormone therapy around radiotherapy improved survival in men with early prostate cancer, with the benefit confined to intermediate-risk disease, so short-course androgen deprivation became standard for that group.

## Summary

Phase 3 trial of 1,979 men with T1b to T2b prostate cancer and PSA of 20 or less randomised to radiotherapy alone or with four months of androgen deprivation beginning two months before radiotherapy.

Ten-year overall survival was 62 versus 57 percent and prostate cancer mortality 4 versus 8 percent with androgen deprivation; the benefit was seen in intermediate-risk men (ten-year survival 61 versus 54 percent) and not in low-risk men.

## Fields

- Kind: Key paper
- Last checked: 2026-09-17
- Journal: New England Journal of Medicine
- Year: 2011
- DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa1012348
- Authors: Jones CU, Hunt D, McGowan DG, et al.
- Findings: Ten-year overall survival 62 percent vs 57 percent.; Intermediate risk: ten-year overall survival 61 percent vs 54 percent; no benefit in low risk.
- What it means: Short-term androgen deprivation with radiotherapy is standard for unfavourable intermediate-risk prostate cancer; low-risk men do not need it.
- Caveats: Radiotherapy dose (66.6 Gy) was lower than current practice; whether hormones are needed with dose-escalated radiotherapy is debated.

## Sources

- N Engl J Med 2011: https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa1012348
- PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21751904/

## Connected records

- cancers: [Localised prostate cancer, intermediate risk](https://onco.cc/cancers/prostate-intermediate-risk/)
- journals: [New England Journal of Medicine](https://onco.cc/journals/nejm/)

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