Prognostic implication of gait function following treatment for spinal cord compression in men diagnosed with prostate cancer

Background: Malignant spinal cord compression (MSCC) is a severe complication of metastatic prostate cancer (PCa) and may compromise neurological functions, including gait function. This study aimed to evaluate the association between survival and gait function prior to, immediately after and 6 weeks following radiotherapy for MSCC in PCa patients.Patient sample: All PCa patients admitted with MSCC at Rigshospitalet, Denmark from January 1, 2010 to December 31, 2011 were included. Patients were followed until death to analyze gait function as a prognostic factor.Methods: Of the 76 included patients, four patients underwent surgical decompression followed by radiotherapy and 72 patients received only radiotherapy. Gait was evaluated prior to radiotherapy, immediately after radiotherapy and at 6 weeks follow-up.Results: Before radiotherapy, 88% had normal gait function and 12% had complete loss of gait function. Corresponding percentages after radiotherapy were 72% and 28%, respectively. Median overall survival following MSCC was 4.9 months (95% CI = 3.6-6.2) with a 3-, 6-, and 12-months survival probability of 64%, 42%, and 21%, respectively. Multivariate analyses demonstrated that patients without gait function after radiotherapy had a 2.6-2.8-fold increased risk of dying compared to men with gait function. Patients with more than two vertebrae involved had a 2.3-3.4-fold increased risk of dying when compared to patients with 1-2 vertebral metastases.Conclusions: PCa patients with MSCC have a poor prognosis. Most likely reflecting differences in tumor burden, preserved gait function following radiotherapy is associated with better prognosis. Further prospective studies are required to confirm this association.

Anti-androgen monotherapy versus gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists in men with advanced, non-metastatic prostate cancer: a register-based, observational study

BACKGROUND

In randomised controlled trials, men with advanced, non-metastatic prostate cancer (PCa) treated with anti-androgen monotherapy (AA) had similar all-cause mortality as men treated with gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonists. Using real-world evidence (i.e., observational data), we aimed to further assess the difference in mortality between these two drug categories.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

We emulated a trial using data from Prostate Cancer data Base Sweden 3.0. We specifically focused on men diagnosed in 2006-2012 with high-risk PCa who had no distant metastasis. They either received primary hormonal therapy with AA (n = 2078) or GnRH agonists (n = 4878) who were followed for a median time of 5 years. Risk of death from PCa and other causes was assessed using competing risk analyses and Cox proportional hazards regression analyses, including propensity score matching.

RESULTS

The cumulative 5-year PCa mortality was lower for men treated with AA (16% [95% confidence interval, CI, 15-18%]) than men treated with GnRH agonists (22% [95% CI 21-24%]). The 5-year other cause mortality was also lower for men on AA (17% [95% CI 15-19%] compared to men on GnRH agonists (27% [95% CI 25-28%]). In regression analyses, the risk of PCa death was similar, GnRH agonists versus AA (reference), hazard ratio (HR) 1.08 (95% CI 0.95-1.23), but the risk of death from all causes was higher for men on GnRH agonists, HR 1.23 (95% CI 1.13-1.34). Consistent results were seen in the propensity score-matched cohort.

CONCLUSION

Our results indicate that the use of AA as primary hormonal therapy in men with high-risk non-metastatic PCa does not increase PCa-specific mortality compared to GnRH. Using AA instead of GnRH agonists may result in shorter time on/exposure to GnRH-treatment, which may reduce the risk of adverse events associated with this treatment.

Gonadotropin-releasing Hormone Agonists, Orchiectomy, and Risk of Cardiovascular Disease: Semi-ecologic, Nationwide, Population-based Study

BACKGROUND

In observational studies, men with prostate cancer treated with gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonists had a higher risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) compared to men who had undergone orchiectomy. However, selection bias may have influenced the difference in risk.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the association of type of androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) with risk of CVD while minimising selection bias.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS

Semi-ecologic study of 6556 men who received GnRH agonists and 3330 men who underwent orchiectomy as primary treatment during 1992-1999 in the Prostate Cancer Database Sweden 3.0.

OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS AND STATISTICAL ANALYSIS

We measured the proportion of men who received GnRH agonists as primary treatment in 580 experimental units defined by healthcare provider, diagnostic time period, and age at diagnosis. Incident or fatal CVD events in units with high and units with low use of GnRH agonists were compared. Net and crude probabilities were also analysed.

RESULTS AND LIMITATIONS

The risk of CVD was similar between units with the highest and units with the lowest proportion of GnRH agonist use (relative risk 1.01, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.93-1.11). Accordingly, there was no difference in the net probability of CVD after GnRH agonist compared to orchiectomy (hazard ratio 1.02, 95% CI 0.96-1.09). The 10-yr crude probability of CVD was 0.56 (95% CI 0.55-0.57) for men on GnRH agonists and 0.52 (95% CI 0.50-0.54) for men treated with orchiectomy. The main limitation was the nonrandom allocation to treatment, with younger men with lower comorbidity and less advanced cancer more likely to receive GnRH agonists.

CONCLUSION

Our data do not support previous observations that GnRH agonists increase the risk of CVD in comparison to orchiectomy.

PATIENT SUMMARY

We found a similar risk of cardiovascular disease between medical and surgical treatment as androgen deprivation therapy for prostate cancer.

Improved survival for patients with de novo metastatic prostate cancer in the last 20 years

INTRODUCTION

During recent years, several new life-prolonging therapeutic options have been introduced for patients with metastatic prostate cancer (mPCa). The aim of the present study was to evaluate the changes in the survival of patients diagnosed with mPCa prior to and in the early period of the implementation of these new agents.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

The study population consisted of 207 men diagnosed in 1997 and 316 men diagnosed in the period 2007-2013 with de novo mPCa and managed with initial endocrine therapy. Men were followed for overall survival and PCa-specific survival.

RESULTS

At the time of diagnosis, men diagnosed in the period 2007-2013 had less co-morbidity, lower prostrate-specific antigen levels and lower clinical tumour categories than men diagnosed in 1997. A significantly higher proportion of men diagnosed in 1997 were managed with surgical castration (57% versus 9%). Only one patient diagnosed in 1997 received second-line therapy compared with 81 men (26%) diagnosed in the period 2007-2013. The median overall survival was significantly longer for men diagnosed between 2007 and 2013 compared with men diagnosed in 1997 (39.4 months versus 24.2 months, p < 0.0001). Likewise, the cumulative incidence of PCa-specific death was higher among men diagnosed in 1997 compared with men diagnosed between 2007 and 2013, with 5-year cumulative incidences of 72% and 47%, respectively (p < 0.0001).

CONCLUSION

Survival in men diagnosed with metastatic PCa has improved significantly over time. The improved survival can in part be explained by lead-time bias, but also by the introduction of new life-prolonging treatments.

Pulmonary Function in Patients With Germ Cell Cancer Treated With Bleomycin, Etoposide, and Cisplatin

Purpose

For patients with germ cell cancer, various pulmonary toxicity risk factors have been hypothesized for treatment with bleomycin, etoposide, and cisplatin (BEP). Because existing studies have shortcomings, we present a large, unselected cohort of patients who have undergone close monitoring of lung function before, during, and after treatment with BEP to disclose valid pulmonary toxicity risk factors.

Patients and Methods

All patients who were treated with BEP at Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark, from 1984 to 2007, were included. Pulmonary function tests (PFTs) that measured the diffusing capacity of the lungs for carbon monoxide (DLCO), forced expiratory volume in 1 second, and forced vital capacity were performed systematically before, during, and after treatment with BEP for 5 years of follow-up. According to local protocol, bleomycin was discontinued if hemoglobin-corrected DLCO (DLCOc) decreased ≥ 25% compared with pretreatment value. Covariates of possible importance were evaluated with a multiple regression analysis for pretreatment PFTs and with a mixed model for follow-up PFTs. Bleomycin was adjusted on the basis of PFT results and was thus omitted as covariate.

Results

Overall, 565 patients were evaluated with a PFT before or after treatment with BEP. During BEP, 15 patients died of progressive disease or toxicity, including one patient from bleomycin-induced pneumonitis. Post-treatment DLCOc decreased significantly, with a rebound during follow-up. Forced expiratory volume in 1 second and forced vital capacity remained unchanged after BEP but increased significantly to levels above pretreatment during follow-up. International Germ Cell Cancer Collaborative Group (IGCCCG) prognostic group, mediastinal primary, pulmonary metastases, and smoking all significantly influenced baseline PFT results. Pulmonary surgery, pulmonary embolism, IGCCCG poor prognosis, and smoking influenced PFT during follow-up. Mediastinal primary, pulmonary metastases, age, or doses of cisplatin and etoposide had no influence on follow-up PFT, and renal function did not influence PFT.

Conclusion

After 5 years of follow-up, pulmonary impairment in patients with germ cell cancer who were treated with BEP was limited. Exceptions were patients treated with pulmonary surgery, those who suffered pulmonary embolism, and those in the IGCCCG poor prognostic group.

ERG protein expression over time: from diagnostic biopsies to radical prostatectomy specimens in clinically localised prostate cancer

Aims

We evaluated the consistency in ERG protein expression from diagnostic specimens through rebiopsies to radical prostatectomies in patients with clinically localised prostate cancer to investigate the validity of ERG status in biopsies.

Methods

ERG expression was assessed by immunohistochemistry (IHC) in 625 biopsy sets and 86 radical prostatectomy specimens from 265 patients with prostate cancer managed on active surveillance. For IHC, a rabbit monoclonal primary antibody was used (clone: EPR3864). TMPRSS2-ERG fluorescence in situ hybridisation (FISH) analyses were performed in 74 biopsies using the FISH ZytoLight TriCheck Probe (SPEC ERG/TMPRSS2). FISH results were correlated with IHC findings.

Results

The concordance between FISH and IHC was 97.3% and IHC demonstrated a sensitivity and specificity for ERG rearrangement of 100% and 95.5%, respectively. Applying IHC, 38.1% of patients were ERG-positive, 53.6% were ERG-negative and 8.3% showed both ERG-positive and negative tumour foci (ERG heterogeneous) at diagnosis. When ERG status was dichotomised (ERG-positive or heterogeneous vs ERG-negative), 95.6%–97.1% of patients did not experience ERG reclassification during the first two rounds of rebiopsies. The concordance in ERG status between biopsies and surgical specimen was 89.5%–94.2% depending on the number of rebiopsies included. Sampling bias was assumed to explain most (81.3%) of the mismatches in ERG status.

Conclusions

Consistency in ERG status ranged from 90% to 95% for patients undergoing serial biopsies and radical prostatectomy. This indicates that biopsies can be used reliably to investigate ERG's prognostic and predictive value.

Long-term survival update of the Scandinavian Prostate Cancer Group 6 study: Bicalutamide 150 mg daily versus placebo in hormone-naïve, non-metastatic prostate cancer

2

Background: The optimal timing of endocrine therapy in non-metastatic prostate cancer (PCa) is not clear. There is a need for more data from randomized trials. Methods: A randomized, double-blind, parallel-group trial comparing bicalutamide 150 mg once daily with placebo in addition to standard of care in patients with hormone-naïve, non-metastatic PCa. Kaplain-Meier analysis was used to estimate overall survival (OS) and multivariate Cox proportional hazard model was performed to analyse time-to-event (death). Results: 1,218 patients were included into the SPCG-6 study, 607 patients were randomised to bicalutamide and 611 patients to placebo. The majority (81.4%) were managed on watchful waiting. After median 14.6 years follow-up, 866 (71.1%) patients died, 428 (70.5%) in the bicalutamide arm and 438 (71.7%) in the placebo arm, p=0.87. In patients with localised disease (cT1-2, N0/Nx) survival favoured randomisation to the placebo arm (HR=1.19 (95% CI: 1.00-1.43), p=0.056). Bicalutamide significantly improved OS and reduced the risk of death by 23% relative to the placebo arm in patient with locally advanced disease (cT3-4, any N; or any cT, N+) with a median survival difference of 1.8 years (HR=0.77 (95% CI: 0.63-0.94, p=0.01). The survival benefit of bicalutamide in patients with locally advanced PCa was present throughout the study period. In multivariate Cox proportional hazard model OS was dependent on age (HR 1.55 (95% CI:1.20-1.85)), baseline PSA (localised PCa HR for 2 x increase in PSA 1.09 (95% CI:1.02-1.16), locally advanced PCa HR 1.23 (95% CI:1.14-1.33)), WHO histological grade (moderate vs. well HR 1.27 (95% CI:1.08-1.49), poor vs. well HR 1.92 (95% CI:1.51-2.45)), and randomisation to placebo in locally advanced disease (HR=0.76 (95% CI: 0.61-0.95)). Conclusions: The addition of early bicalutamide to standard of care resulted in a significant OS benefit in patients with locally advanced PCa, whereas patients with localised PCa derived no survival benefit from early bicalutamide. The survival benefit of bicalutamide therapy increased with higher baseline PSA. Clinical trial information: NCT00672282.

Active surveillance strategy for patients with localised prostate cancer: criteria for progression

BACKGROUND

Active surveillance - an initial observational strategy - offers a tailored management of patients with localised prostate cancer. The aim of the strategy is to appoint patients with potentially lethal prostate cancer to curatively intended treatment, while patients with slowly evolving tumours are spared from an unnecessary curative intervention.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

All data included were derived from a single-institution active surveillance cohort of 317 patients which was followed prospectively at Rigshospitalet from 2002 until 2013. The patients were managed with serial PSA measurements, repeated biopsies, and regular digital rectal examinations. The programme recommended change of management from active surveillance to curatively intended treatment based on PSA doubling time, deteriorating histopathology in repeated prostatic biopsies, and increased clinical tumour category.

RESULTS

The programme entailed close monitoring during the first 5 years with 3-4 out-patient contacts annually. Altogether, 2-3 biopsy sessions were performed in most patients. Complications necessitating hospital admissions arose in almost 10% of the repeated biopsy sessions. The 5-year cumulative incidence of curatively intended treatment was estimated to be 39.5%. Active surveillance resulted in a 34.8% cost-reduction following 3.7 years compared to the estimated cost of immediate radical prostatectomy. The calculated PSA doubling times were associated with wide 95% confidence intervals, which resulted in a significant risk of being misclassified according to the definition of progression. The interobserver agreement of biopsy histopathology between expert uropathologist was substantial. Still, the pathologists' disagreement would have resulted in different treatment recommendations in up to 10% of the re-evaluated biopsies. Neither PSA doubling time nor increased clinical tumour category was associated with final histopathological findings following subsequent radical prostatectomy. Although the level of significance was only met in univariate analysis, biopsy progression was associated with defined final histopathological findings at radical prostatectomy that was perceived as unacceptable for a continued observational strategy.

CONCLUSION

The thesis has demonstrated that active surveillance is feasible and reduces the number of patients undergoing curative intended treatment. However, active surveillance necessitates close monitoring during the first 5 years. PSA doubling time is unreliable as a progression criterion, while progression on repeated biopsy in part seems to fulfil the requirements of a dependable progression criterion. The need for more accurate progression criteria in the management of prostate cancer patients on active surveillance is emphasised.

[Active surveillance is a useful strategy in the management of patients with low-risk prostate cancer]

Radical prostatectomy has in randomised settings failed to demonstrate a survival difference in patients with low-risk prostate cancer when tested against an observational strategy. Active surveillance has been introduced in order to reduce overtreatment by distinguishing between cancers with a biological potential, and truly indolent cancers best left untreated. Preliminary results from large prospective active surveillance cohorts are promising; however, uncertainties persist concerning optimal patient selection and follow-up, as well as the long-term safety.

Biochemical response to enzalutamide therapy in patients with mCRPC following docetaxel and abiraterone treatment

202

Background: Enzalutamide improve overall survival (OS) in patients with metastatic castrate resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) patients following docetaxel treatment. Optimal sequencing and possible cross-resistance for novel mCRPC therapeutics is less understood. In this study we report biochemical response and OS after enzalutamide treatment in post-chemo mCRPC patients following progression on post-chemo abiraterone treatment. Methods: Twenty-four post-chemotherapy and post-abiraterone mCRPC patients with progressive disease received enzalutamide 160 mg/daily in a Danish compassionate-use program sponsored by Astellas Pharma A/S. Best PSA and alkaline phosphatase response was recorded. Fischer’s exact test, Mann-Whitney U test and linear regression model was used to test for differences in PSA response. OS was calculated from initiation of enzalutamide treatment. Results: Minimum follow-up was three months. The best median PSA response was -22% (-76% to 76%). Forty-six percent of patients had a greater than 30% decrease in PSA. The PSA response to enzalutamide did not correlate to the number of prior cancer treatments (p = 0.57), time from diagnosis to CRPC (p = 0.11), or prior response to docetaxel (p = 0.67). However, eight patients treated with second line cabazitaxel had an inferior PSA response to enzalutamide (p = 0.03), and there was a trend for the PSA response to abiraterone to correlate with the PSA response to the succeeding enzalutamide (B = 0.22, p = 0.05). The best median alkaline phosphatase response was 0.1% (-67% to 126%). Median OS was 4.8 months. Conclusions: Patients with post-chemotherapy, post-abiraterone mCRPC treated with enzalutamide showed less marked biochemical response to therapy compared to the results from the AFFIRM study where post-chemo abiraterone was not used. Whether this is an effect of cross-resistance or a result of the natural history of the disease needs further elaboration.

Biochemical response to ketoconazole therapy in post-chemotherapy mCRPC patients

174

Background: Ketoconazole for the treatment of metastatic castration resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) has never been investigated in randomized trials. In fact, although ketoconazole is a less potent inhibitor of the CYP-17 enzyme systems compared to abiraterone, there is no head-to-head evidence demonstrating that this translates into improved survival. We analyzed biochemical response rates in post-chemotherapy mCRPC patients who were treated with ketoconazole 200 mg TID plus prednisone 5 mg BID at a single center in Denmark. Methods: Between 2008 and 2012, where neither abiraterone nor enzalutamide was available in Denmark, a total of 30 post-chemotherapy mCRPC patients were managed with ketoconazole. Percent change in prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) from baseline were registered. Overall survival was calculated from the initiation of ketoconazole. Results: At initiation of ketoconazole, median age was 66 (range: 58 to 76). Median PSA was 547 ng/ml (65 to 4,241). Median ALP was 159 U/L (51 to 750). The median number of prior cancer therapies was five (three to nine). The median time on ketoconazole treatment was 150 days (14 to 648). A total of 44% patients had any decline in PSA, whereof 31% experienced a decline of >=50%. At three months, a total of 19 patients still received ketoconazole, whereof 26% sustained a PSA decline of >=50% from baseline. A total of 71% experienced any decline in ALP, whereof 36% experienced a maximum decline of >=50%. At three months, 7 of 19 patients (36%) sustained an ALP decline of >=50% from baseline. At follow-up, 28 of 30 patients had died. The median overall survival was 10.5 months (95%CI: 8.3-12.6). Conclusions: Compared to the post-chemotherapy phase II study of abiraterone (58 patients) our cohort most likely had a larger tumor burden (e.g. higher PSA, more therapies prior to start of ketoconazole). Nonetheless, we demonstrated a reasonably comparable maximum >=50% PSA response-rate (43% in phase II) and three-months response-rate >=50% (36% in phase II). Also a significant decline in ALP was demonstrated here which has not been reported in abiraterone trials. Given the large difference in expenditure, a head-to-head comparison of abiraterone and ketoconazole in mCRPC patients still seem justified.

Risk of biochemical recurrence and positive surgical margins in patients with pT2 prostate cancer undergoing radical prostatectomy

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

To investigate risk factors associated with positive surgical margins (PSM) and biochemical recurrence (BR) in organ confined tumors (pT2) after radical prostatectomy (RP) for localized prostate cancer (PCa).

METHODS

Between 1995 and 2011, 1,649 patients underwent RP at our institution. The study includes the 1,133 consecutive patients with pT2 tumors at final histopathology. Logistic regression analysis was used for risk of PSM. Risk of BR, defined as the first PSA ≥ 0.2 ng/ml, was analyzed with Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression analysis.

RESULTS

Median follow-up was 3.6 years (range: 0.5-15.5 years). In logistic regression, NS surgery was independently associated with an increased risk of pT2 PSM (OR = 1.68, 95% CI: 1.3-2.0, P = 0.01) relative to non-NS surgery. NS surgery was not independently associated with BR but the interaction of PSM and NS surgery trended (P = 0.08) to increase the risk of BR compared to PSM and non-NS surgery.

CONCLUSION

Several factors influence the risk of pT2 PSMs in radical prostatectomy. In our cohort pT2 PSM is associated with NS surgery and trend to increase risk of BR compared to non-NS surgery. The optimal selection of candidates for NS surgery is still not clear.

[New endocrine treatments prolong survival of patients with castration-resistant prostate cancer]

Prostate cancer that progresses despite castrate levels of serum testosterone is defined as castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). Molecular investigations of the disease have established that progression of CRPC remains driven by androgen receptor signalling and that CRPC continues to respond to hormonal manipulation. Recently, new endocrine treatments including an androgen receptor signalling inhibitor and a testosterone synthesis inhibitor have been approved for treatment of CRPC. We review the pivotal phase 3 trials and discuss their implications for future treatment of CRPC.

Robot-assisted radical prostatectomy is a safe procedure

INTRODUCTION

We present our departmental experience with robot-assisted radical prostatectomy and describe complications and early results for the first 239 consecutive patients.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

A total of 239 patients were planned to undergo robot-assisted radical prostatectomy performed with a DaVinci robot. Final histopathology and pre- and perioperative parameters were registered. Furthermore, early and late complications were recorded according to the Clavien-Dindo classification.

RESULTS

Robot-assisted radical prostatectomy was completed in 232 patients (97.1%). The median duration of surgery decreased significantly from initially 4.6 h in the first quartile to 3.1 h in the last quartile (p < 0.001). Overall, the median perioperative blood loss was 300 ml (range: 25-1,000 ml). The median admission time was one day (range: 1-5 days), and the median duration of bladder catheterization was eight days (range: 6-149 days). In total, 88 post-operative complications were observed in 73 patients (31.5%). A total of 70 complications appeared within 30 days of surgery, whereas 18 occurred later. Among the early complications, the majority (57.1%) were minor (Clavien-Dindo grade ≤ II); however, overall 2.6% suffered an early grade ≥ IIIb complication. Overall, the margin-positive rate was 29.3% decreasing from 43.1% in the first quartile to 24.7% in the last three quartiles (p = 0.008).

CONCLUSION

Robot-assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy is a safe procedure with minimal blood loss, short hospitalization and short time catheter post-operatively.

FUNDING

not relevant.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

not relevant.

Survival and toxicity in patients with disseminated germ-cell cancer above 40 years of age

4532

Background: The aim was to analyze treatment related toxicity and survival in patients aged 40 years or above (40+) treated with standard chemotherapy for germ-cell cancer (GCC). Methods: The study population comprised 135 40+ patients with disseminated GCC treated between 1984 – 2011 with either 3 or 4 cycles bleomycin, etoposide and cisplatin (BEP). A control-group of 135 patients aged 18-35 years was randomly selected matched on year of BEP treatment. All patients were followed until death or October 1st2011. Cumulated doses of BEP as well as bone-marrow toxicity, renal- and lung functions were recorded before, during and after termination of treatment. The expected mortality was calculated by extracting survival data for each patient matched on the date and age at the time of diagnosis. The cause of death was categorized as GCC, other malignancy or other. Results: The cumulated doses of BEP were comparable between the two groups and, generally, BEP was equally well tolerated. 40+ patients had increased cancer specific mortality, HR = 4.8 (P = 0.005). Especially patients with disease progression after first line chemotherapy had increased mortality (P = 0.015). The year of treatment (P = 0.32), histology (P = 0.30), CCI (P = 0.99), tobacco use (P = 0.16), alcohol consumption (P = 0.21), prophylactic G-CSF (P = 0.61), reduced doses of bleomycin (P = 0.11) and decreased renal function (P = 0.18) were not significantly associated with GCC mortality. However, patients with impaired lung function (<80% of expected) prior to treatment had an increased risk of GCC mortality (FVC (P = 0.03), DLCO (P = 0.01) and FEV1(P = 0.05)). Moreover, the 5-year overall survival in the 40+ group was 82.5% compared to the expected 5-year survival of the background population of 96.2% (P <0.001) and the estimated 5-year survival of 97.0% in the control-group (P <0.001). Conclusions: Reduced treatment intensity, or treatment related toxicity could not explain the increased mortality in 40+ GCC patients compared to a younger control-group. The 40+ group has a significantly lower response rate to BEP and a significantly higher mortality in case of disease progression. The worse prognosis could be related to tumor biology or increased co-morbidity.

Patients undergoing radical prostatectomy have a better survival than the background population

INTRODUCTION

The objective of this study was to investigate standardised relative survival and mortality ratio for patients undergoing radical prostatectomy for localized prostate cancer at our institution.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Between 1995 and 2010, a total of 1,350 consecutive patients underwent radical prostatectomy. Patients were followed prospectively per protocol. No patients were lost to follow-up. Overall and cause-specific survival were described using Kaplan-Meier plots. Standardized relative survival and mortality ratio were calculated based on expected survival in the age-matched Danish population using the methods and macros described by Dickmann. The country-specific population mortality rates used for calculation of the expected survival were based on data from The Human Mortality Database.

RESULTS

The median follow-up was 3.4 years (range: 0-14.3 years). A total of 59 (4.4%) patients died during follow-up. In all, 17 (1.3%) patients died of prostate cancer. The estimated ten-year overall survival was 89.3%. The cancer-specific survival was estimated to 96.6% after ten years. Relative survival was 1.04 after five years and 1.14 after ten years. The standardized mortality ratio, i.e. observed mortality/expected mortality, was 0.61 and 0.39 at five and ten years, respectively.

CONCLUSION

The overall and cancer-specific ten-year survival in a consecutive series of patients in a non-screened Danish population is ≥ 89%. The survival and mortality ratio is significantly better than expected in the age-matched background population. This finding is likely explained by selection bias. Although the results indicate an excellent outcome in terms of cancer control, the efficacy of prostatectomy for localized prostate cancer remains at debate.

FUNDING

not relevant.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

not relevant.