Radical prostatectomy or radiation therapy for early prostate cancer. Two roads to the same end.

The relative success of radical prostatectomy and radiation therapy is discussed for the treatment of prostate cancer. Obstacles to this comparison included changing criteria for treatment, variations in endpoint reporting and data analysis, the lack of help from retrospective trials, the confusion caused by concurrent hormonal manipulation, and the influences of patient and tumor factors. Complications of treatment are different and often not well reported. Long-term outcome is similar in the few studies available and one may conclude that the two treatments produce the same good success in controlling early disease.