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Older Men with Prostate Cancer Survive Longer with
Treatment vs Observation
Study of data of more
than 48,000 men between age 65 and 80 and is the first known study of
senior citizens to show survival benefit with radiation therapy
Feb. 25, 2006 – Many senior citizens diagnosed with
prostate cancer weigh the choice of immediate treatment or waiting to
see how fast the cancer develops. A new study, however, shows older men
with early stage prostate cancer survive longer if they are treated,
versus not being treated in favor of the "watchful waiting" approach
advocated by many physicians for older men with other health problems.
In addition, the study revealed a survival benefit for men treated with
radiation therapy making it the first study to demonstrate a survival
advantage in an older population.
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Feb. 24, 2006 - New findings on the detection and
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see 234,460 new cases in 2006, were discussed today at
a press conference at the 2006 Prostate Cancer Symposium in San
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found in senior citizens about age 70.
Read more...
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The study was presented by Fox Chase Cancer Center
medical oncologist Yu-Ning Wong, M.D., at the 2006 Prostate Cancer
Symposium Feb. 25 in San Francisco.
The study examines survival data of more than
48,606 men between 65 and 80 years old who survived at least one year
after a diagnosis of localized prostate cancer (cancer that has not
spread beyond the prostate).
Since the advent of the PSA (prostate-specific
antigen) blood test about 20 years ago, many more cases of prostate
cancer have been diagnosed at earlier stages.
"Some prostate cancers grow so slowly that they
never become life-threatening, especially in elderly men who may die of
other causes before the cancer causes problems," explained Wong. "But
other men develop complications and die from their cancer making the
decision to treat quite difficult."
It remains unclear whether detecting early prostate
tumors translates into an equivalent benefit of saving lives and whether
the benefits of early detection outweigh the risks of complications from
follow up diagnostic tests and cancer treatments.
The cases examined in this study were diagnosed
between 1991 and 1999. The men ranged from 65 to 80 years old at
diagnosis. Median age at diagnosis was 72. A total of 34,046 men
received treatment with either radiation therapy (19,948) or
surgery--radical prostatectomy--to remove the prostate (14,098). The
remaining 14,560 men were only observed (watchful waiting).
More than half the treated men were alive by the
end of the study, with a median survival of 13 years. Median survival
for the group receiving observation was about 10 years.
"This large, population-based study demonstrates a
survival advantage for men treated with either radical prostatectomy or
radiation therapy compared to observation," Wong said. "Eligible men
should be considered for both treatment options."
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