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(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Prostate cancer patients whose cancer has not spread are usually given several options for treatment. They can have surgery to remove the cancer, undergo radiotherapy to kill the cancer cells, choose "watchful waiting" to see if the cancer progresses, begin therapy aimed at starving the cancer of the hormone it needs to thrive, or select an alternative form of care.
A new study suggests surgery might be the best choice. Swiss researchers who compared outcomes for about 840 prostate cancer patients treated in their country found men who underwent surgery to remove all or part of the prostate were significantly less likely to die over the long-run than men who opted for other forms of care.
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At a 10-year follow up, 83 percent of men who had the surgery were still alive compared to 75 percent who chose radiotherapy, 72 percent who underwent watchful waiting, 41 percent who were treated with hormone therapy, and 71 percent who underwent other types of treatment.
The increased mortality seen in the radiotherapy and watchful waiting groups was mainly attributed to deaths that occurred among younger men and those with certain types of prostate cancer, leading the researchers to conclude doctors should take these factors into account when advising men on the best treatment.
"Our study results suggest that surgery offers the best chance of long-term prostate cancer-specific survival, in particular for younger patients and patients with poorly-differentiated tumors," study authors write.
This article was reported by Ivanhoe.com, which offers Medical Alerts by e-mail every day of the week. To subscribe, click on: http://www.ivanhoe.com/newsalert/.
SOURCE: Archives of Internal Medicine, 2007;167:1944-1950
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