Sequential estrogen and radiation therapy was introduced to improve treatment result for stage C of the prostate cancer. Staging operation was performed in order to exclude stage D1 cases at the beginning of the treatment. Twenty of 34 stage C cases have been treated by sequential estrogen and radiation in our hospital between 1980 and 1989 and half of them had actually been done staging operation. An average age was 69.3. Tumor differentiations were distributed to well in 5 cases, moderately in 5 and poorly in 9. The other unknown differentiation case was diagnosed by fine needle aspiration cytology. Previously administered estrogens were DES-DP in 15 cases and others in 5. Total doses of 70 Gy in 35 fractions were sequentially delivered to the prostate, involving if necessary the seminal vesicles over a seven-week period by bilateral 120 degrees pendel using linear accelerator. Radiation field was sized from 6 x 6 to 8 x 8 cm. Estrogens have been continuously administered following radiation in 11 cases. Therapeutic effects upon the prostate were evaluated by digital rectal palpation. Improvement rate and atrophy rate of the primary lesion were 94.4% and 50% respectively. Recurrences were observed in 4 cases and 3 of them recurred within 3 years after initiation of the treatment. Recurred sites were in primary lesion in 2 cases and in bone in two. Five year non-recurrence rate was 81% by Kaplan Meier's method. One of 3 who discontinued hormone administration during or immediately after radiotherapy had local recurrence after 65 months and the other 2 cases died of gastric cancer and unknown cause, respectively.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)