prostate-report.org

Prostate cancer-specific survival 30 years after radical prostatectomy

A recent report at Virginia Mason Medical Center, Seattle, WA, performed an evaluation on 30-year cancer control and survival outcomes after radical prostatectomy in a single center series of patients treated during a 43-year period.

The authors conclude that, in this series of radical prostatectomy patients, followed over a total period of 43 years, less than 10 percent of patients went on to have metastases and nearly 30 percent died of causes other than prostate cancer. They state in their conclusion that, it is important for patients with metastatic disease to be appropriately monitored by physicians whose primary interest is not in prostate cancer, since many such patients are going to be at significant risk for co-morbid conditions that may cause their death. However, local and distant control outcomes are excellent, and cancer specific mortality is minimal even 30 years after surgery.