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Senior Citizen Health & Medicine
Surgery Wins as Best Prostate Cancer Treatment for
Long-Term Survival
Ten year survival: 83% prostatectomy, 75%
radiotherapy, 72% watchful waiting
 Oct.
9, 2007 – One of the things most often debated
among older men and those who provide their health care is how to treat
prostate cancer – common for senior men. The latest study says cut it
out. Those who chose surgery in this study were less likely to die
within 10 years than were men who chose other treatments.
This study from Switzerland found men especially
less likely to die if they are younger or have cancers with certain
tumor cell characteristics, according to a report in the Oct. 8 issue of
Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
Prostate cancer treatments are still being debated
because they have not yet been compared in a randomized trial, in which
men would be randomly assigned to one treatment or another, according to
background information in the article.
"Therefore, treatment choice is strongly influenced
by patient and physician personal preferences and experiences," the
authors write.
Data from the Geneva Cancer Registry was used to
assess all 844 patients diagnosed with localized (not yet spread)
prostate cancer in Geneva between 1989 and 1998.
Arnaud Merglen, M.D., of Geneva University,
Switzerland, and colleagues found that of those men,
● 158 received prostatectomy, or surgery to remove all or part of the
prostate;
● 205 had radiation treatment (radiotherapy);
● 378 chose watchful waiting, which entails active follow-up and
treatment if the disease progresses;
● 72 underwent hormone therapy; and
● 31 had another type of therapy.
The average follow-up was 6.7 years (range zero to
15.8 years), and 47 patients (5.6 percent) left Geneva and the study
before the study concluded.
"At 10 years, patients treated with radiotherapy or
watchful waiting had a significantly increased risk of death from
prostate cancer compared with patients who underwent prostatectomy," the
authors report.
Ten-year survival rates from prostate cancer were
● 83 percent for prostatectomy,
● 75 percent for radiotherapy,
● 72 percent for watchful waiting,
● 41 percent for hormone therapy and
● 71 percent for other treatment.
"The increased mortality associated with
radiotherapy and watchful waiting was primarily observed in patients
younger than 70 years and in patients with poorly differentiated
tumors," or tumors that have certain cellular characteristics and are
more likely to spread aggressively.
"Until clinical trials provide conclusive evidence,
physicians and patients should be informed of these results and their
limitations," the authors conclude.
(Arch
Intern Med. 2007;167(18):1944-1950. Available to the media
pre-embargo at
www.jamamedia.org)
Editor's Note: This study was supported in part by
a PROSPER (Program for Social Medicine, Preventive and Epidemiological
Research) grant from the Swiss National Science Foundation.
Links to more SeniorJournal.com reports on
Prostate Cancer:
Cancer Cells Zapped by Electrical Impulses with Invention by Engineers
Clinical trials come next to test on prostate cancer victims
July 6, 2007
Researchers Say They
Have Found a Better Test for Prostate Cancer?
April 26, 2007
Proteins from Inflammation are 'Smoking Gun' in Spread of Prostate
Cancer
March 19, 2007
Obesity and
Prostate Cancer a Deadly Combination, Study Finds
March 15, 2007
Seniors May Increase Risk of Heart Disease from Prostate Cancer
Treatment
Feb. 26, 2007
Prostate Cancer
Patients Have High Survival Rates with Seed Implants
January 31, 2007
Radiation Therapy
Combo Cures Prostate Cancer Long-Term
January 4, 2007
Lack
of Sons Puts Men at Higher Risk for Prostate Cancer Says New Study
January 3, 2007
Elderly Men
Survive Prostate Cancer 'Significantly' Longer if Treated
December 22, 2006
Octogenarians Not Too Old for Cancer Surgery, Say Mayo Clinic
Researchers
November 27, 2006
Prostate
Cancer Studies Find Benefit to Radiation, No Harm in Testosterone
Replacement in Older Men
November 14, 2006
Prostate
Cancer Cells Killed by Protein Made by the Cancer
November 10, 2006
Researchers
Urge New Approach to Prostate Cancer Screening with Early PSA Base
November 1, 2006
Prostate Cancer Appears Cured in 89 Percent of Men Treated with IMRT
September 27, 2006
PSA of
Prostate Cancer Victims Can Predict How Long They Will Survive
August 25, 2006
Large Study Finds Some Prostate Cancer Patients
Possibly Overtreated
August 15, 2006
Plant-Based Diet with Stress Reduction Slows
Progression of Prostate Cancer
August 15, 2006 - Also in this news report you will find links
to more associations between prostate cancer and nutrition and
supplements.
Prostate Cancer Cells Killed by RNA-Based Drug
August 10, 2006
Men Found with Prostate Cancer Rush to Judgment on
Treatment
June 26, 2006
Potential of Prostate Cancer Spread Detected Early
by New Test
June 21, 2006
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