Prostate Cancer: Reasons Behind Treatment Selection

Newswise — A special panel briefing will be held on outcome variables in prostate cancer treatment during the 100th Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Urological Association (AUA) on May 22, 2005 in the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio. J. Brantley Thrasher, M.D., a spokesperson for the AUA and chair of urologic surgery at the University of Kansas Medical Center, will moderate the briefing, which will feature research on best treatments for high-grade prostate cancer and the influence of demographics on the selection of treatments. Reporters unable to attend the briefing in person can view a webcast of the session on line at http://www.AUA2005.org by 9:00 p.m. that same evening.

Featured research includes:High-Grade Prostate Cancer: What is the Best Treatment Approach? (468): Several treatment options are available for prostate cancer, including watchful waiting (physician and patient monitor condition until reaching certain degree of severity), radiation therapy and prostatectomy. Since no treatment option has been declared the most successful option for treating high-grade prostate cancer, researchers compared these three methods to determine the best treatment and found that prostatectomies have a higher survival advantage over watchful waiting and radiation.

Association of Race, Cancer Severity, Pre-treatment Quality of Life and Patient Optimism/Pessimism with Patient Selection of Primary Prostate Cancer Treatment (1671): Patients have options when it comes to treating prostate cancer, but why does a patient choose one form of treatment over another? Personal characteristics were thought to be associated with selection of either radical prostatectomy, external radiotherapy, or brachytherapy as treatment for newly diagnosed prostate cancer. To compare characteristics, demographics, cancer severity and treatment details were collected using a web-based database. Results showed race, marital status, cancer severity, age, sexual and urinary function were heavily related to treatment type selected for prostate cancer.

Impact of Socioeconomic Factors on Long-term Mortality in Men Diagnosed with Clinically Localized Prostate Cancer (465): African American men are more likely to develop prostate cancer than Caucasian men. Thus stated, the goal of this study was to examine race as a factor in cancer specific survival and overall survival in men with prostate cancer while also examining the role of socio-economic factors that may account for racial disparity in outcomes. Research showed changes in insurance and income were enough to decrease the effect of race on prostate cancer survival rates. Personal optimism levels also were a factor in choosing one form of treatment over another.

Positive Family History of Prostate Cancer is Not Associated with Worse Outcomes After Radical Prostatectomy (1672): Men with prostate cancer who have a family history of the disease are more likely to have less severe disease complications at the time of prostatectomy compared to prostate cancer patients with no family history. Researchers performed a study of past prostatectomies and defined a family history as having one or more first degree relatives, such as a brother or father, with prostate cancer. Analysis showed that patients with a family history had improved levels of disease-free survival, perhaps associated with seeking proactive treatment at an earlier age and therefore experiencing less severe complications. The objective of this study was to determine the clinical outcomes in men with and without a family history of prostate cancer after radical prostatectomy.

Multivariate Analysis of Cancer-specific Survival and Overall Survival in Patients with High-Grade Prostate Cancer (680): African-American race, lower socioeconomic status, and other health problems have been associated with decreased survival in prostate cancer patients. This study sought to determine the role of these variables both collectively and individually on cancer specific survival and overall survival in patients in advanced stages of prostate cancer. Studies found that the only correlation between cancer specific survival and overal survival was the treatment received.

Age at Treatment is Not a Good Predictor of Outcome Following Radical Retropubic Prostatectomy (271): Research has suggested that younger prostate cancer patients experience more positive outcomes following prostatectomy. This study evaluated patients to determine the importance of age in favorable outcomes following prostatecomy and found that age at treatment is not a factor in determining post-operative outcomes. The cancer severity and grade are worse in older populations, but these factors play the major role in determining the post-operative success at any age.

"We've made great gains in understanding and treating prostate cancer, said J. Brantley Thrasher, M.D.," who moderated the panel. "We're learning that a variety of external factors, such as race and family history play a key role in treatments and survival."

About the American Urological Association: Founded in 1902 and headquartered near Baltimore, Maryland, the American Urological Association, Inc. is the pre-eminent professional organization for urologists, with more than 13,000 members throughout the world. An educational nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, the AUA pursues its mission of fostering the highest standards of urologic care by carrying out a wide variety of programs members and their patients, including UrologyHealth.org, an award-winning on line patient education resource, and the American Urological Association Foundation, Inc., formerly AFUD.

For full copies of abstracts, vist http://www.aua2005.org or contact the Press Room.