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Removing cancerous prostate ups survival rate, study says
No comparisons made to other treatments
July 1, 1997
Web posted at: 10:37 p.m. EDT (0237 GMT)CHICAGO (CNN) -- A new study suggests that having a cancerous prostate removed before the disease spreads improves a man's chances of surviving by 60 percent to 97 percent.
But the researchers at the University of Miami School of Medicine and the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Miami urged caution before choosing such a procedure.
"One should be extremely cautious about using the present observations in making inferences about relative treatment effectiveness," study author Arnon Krongrad writes in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
The prostate provides lubrication to the urethra and supplies semen for ejaculation. Prostate cancer afflicts nearly 10 out of 100,000 American males, and is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in U.S. men.
It is the second leading cause of death among men with cancer.
The researchers analyzed data on 3,626 patients in nine regions of the United States. Each had had his prostate gland removed, a procedure known as a radical prostatectomy.
Post-surgery quality-of-life wasn't studied
Researchers found that patients whose cancer had not spread and who had normal-appearing cells had "excellent
disease-specific survival, which is associated with relatively good overall survival."Between 60 percent and 97 percent of the patients lived at least 10 years after the surgery, depending on the stage and grade of the cancer. Some prostate cancers are more aggressive than others.
The researchers found no geographical variations in mortality rates from the disease. But older men and black men had worse overall 10-year survival rates, although that could not necessarily be attributed to the cancer.
The study did not compare surgical survival rates to those of other treatments such as radiation therapy and "watchful waiting," or no treatment. Some radiation patients have incontinence and impotence after treatment, although it usually takes years to develop.
The study also did not look at quality-of-life issues such as side-effects. Up to 35 percent of men are permanently incontinent after prostate surgery, and as many as 60 percent are impotent.
A spokesman for the American Cancer Society said the life expectancy for surgery patients is, in general, longer than for patients who have other treatments.
The reason, he said, is that doctors don't refer patients for surgery unless they are younger, have less-advanced cancer and are in overall good health.
Reuters contributed to this report.
Related stories:
- Vitamin supplement may help prevent prostate cancer - May 19, 1997
- Swedish study suggests not treating some prostate cancers - February 11, 1997
- Researchers locate prostate cancer gene - November 21, 1996
- Prostate cancer testing not as effective for black men - August 1, 1996
- Tomatoes help men ward off prostate cancer - December 6, 1995
Related sites:
Note: Pages will open in a new browser window
- BWH main entrance - Brigham and Women's Hospital Home Page
- Prostate Cancer Home Page - University of Michigan
- Prostate Cancer InfoLink
- American Society of Clinical Oncology
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