Urology
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To identify therapeutic patterns for putative prostate cancer treatment failures and the role played by androgen ablation therapy in these patients, a questionnaire study was undertaken with urologists and radiation oncologists who had attended a brachytherapy forum at the Seattle Prostate Institute (SPI). Hypothetical questions were asked about recommendations the physicians would give to a patient demonstrating biochemical or local failure after external-beam radiation therapy. Most of the physicians queried were in private practice; 53% were radiation oncologists and 47% were urologists. ⋯ In the older patient, observation was recommended most often, followed closely by androgen ablation. Overall, there was a lack of consensus on how to deliver androgen ablation. However, there was remarkable agreement between urologists and radiation oncologists on virtually all issues queried.