Prostate carcinoma trends in three counties in Sweden 1987-1996: results from a population-based national cancer register. South-East Region Prostate Cancer Group

Temporal trends in cause of death among Swedish and US men with prostate cancer

BACKGROUND

A growing proportion of men diagnosed with localized prostate cancer detected through prostate-specific antigen testing are dying from causes other than prostate cancer. Temporal trends in specific causes of death among prostate cancer patients have not been well described.

METHODS

We analyzed causes of death among all incident prostate cancer cases recorded in the nationwide Swedish Cancer Registry (1961-2008; n = 210 112) and in the US Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program (1973-2008; n = 490 341). We calculated the cumulative incidence of death due to seven selected causes that accounted for more than 80% of the reported deaths (including ischemic heart disease and non-prostate cancer) and analyzed mortality trends by calendar year and age at diagnosis and length of follow-up.

RESULTS

During follow-up through 2008, prostate cancer accounted for 52% of all reported deaths in Sweden and 30% of reported deaths in the United States among men with prostate cancer; however, only 35% of Swedish men and 16% of US men diagnosed with prostate cancer died from this disease. In both populations, the cumulative incidence of prostate cancer-specific death declined during follow-up, while the cumulative incidences of death from ischemic heart disease and non-prostate cancer remained constant. The 5-year cumulative incidence of death from prostate cancer among all men was 29% in Sweden and 11% in the United States.

CONCLUSIONS

In Sweden and the United States, men diagnosed with prostate cancer are less likely to die from prostate cancer than from another cause. Because many of these other causes of death are preventable through changes in lifestyle, interventions that target lifestyle factors should be integrated into prostate cancer management.

Suppression of human prostate tumor growth by a unique prostate-specific monoclonal antibody F77 targeting a glycolipid marker

In our effort to find diagnostic markers and to develop therapeutic approaches for prostate cancer, we have identified an mAb that is capable of binding to a cell surface antigen specifically expressed on both androgen-dependent and androgen-independent prostate cancer cells. Immunohistological studies revealed that this mAb, called F77, stained 112 of 116 primary and 29 of 34 metastatic human prostate cancer specimens. Although the mAb F77 alone directly promotes prostate cancer cell death, it also mediates complement-dependent cytotoxicity and antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity. In addition, mAb F77 can significantly inhibit androgen-independent PC3 and Du145 tumor growth in nude mice. Antigen characterization revealed that mAb F77 recognizes a very small molecular species with glycolipid properties. F77 antigen is concentrated in the lipid-raft microdomains, which serve as platforms for the assembly of associating protein complexes. Thus, the present study indicates that mAb F77 defines a unique prostate cancer marker and shows promising potential for diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer, especially for androgen-independent metastatic prostate cancer.

Radical prostatectomyLong‐term oncological outcome from a community hospital

OBJECTIVE

Radical prostatectomy has recently been shown to prolong cancer-specific survival compared to watchful waiting in patients with localized prostate cancer. Most patients who seek medical advice for this disease are treated in hospitals in which the operation is performed relatively infrequently. The aim of this study is to report the oncological outcome at intermediate- to long-term follow-up after radical prostatectomy performed in a community hospital.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

A total of 148 patients underwent radical prostatectomy at Ryhov County Hospital between 1985 and 1997. Patients without T3 tumours, prostate-specific antigen (PSA) >10 ng/ml or poorly differentiated tumours were judged to be in a low-risk group, those with one risk factor to be in an intermediate group and those with two or more factors to be in a high-risk group. The projected biochemical disease free- and cancer-specific survival rates were compared between these risk groups.

RESULTS

Median follow-up was 96 months for surviving patients. Patients in the low- and intermediate risk groups had equal 10-year PSA-free survival rates of 68.8%, while that in the high-risk group was only 19.3% (9-year data). Corresponding cancer-specific survival rates were 93% and 84%, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

The oncological outcome seems comparable to that reported in the literature, even when the operation is performed in a low-volume community-based setting.

The National Prostate Cancer Register in Sweden 1998—2002: Trends in incidence, treatment and survival

OBJECTIVES

To provide a descriptive review of the establishment of the National Prostate Cancer Register (NPCR) in Sweden, to present clinical characteristics at diagnosis and to calculate the relative survival of different risk groups after 5 years.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Since 1998, data on all newly diagnosed prostate cancers, including TNM classification, grade of malignancy, prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level and treatment, have been prospectively collected. For the 35,223 patients diagnosed between 1998 and 2002, relative survival in different risk groups has been calculated.

RESULTS

Between 1998 and 2002, 96% of all prostate cancer cases diagnosed in Sweden were registered in the NPCR. The number of new cases increased from 6137 in 1998 to 7385 in 2002. The age-standardized rate rose in those aged < 70 years, while it was stable, or possibly declining from 1999, in the older age groups. The proportion of T1c tumours increased from 14% to 28% of all recorded cases. The age-adjusted incidence of advanced tumours (M1 or PSA > 100 ng/ml) decreased by 17%. The proportion of patients receiving curative treatment doubled. Patients with N1 or M1 disease or poorly differentiated tumours (G3 or Gleason score 8-10) had a markedly reduced relative 5-year survival rate.

CONCLUSIONS

It is possible to establish a nationwide prostate cancer register including basic data for assessment of the disease in the whole of Sweden. The introduction of PSA screening has increased the detection of early prostate cancer in younger men and, to a lesser extent, decreased the incidence of advanced disease. The effect of these changes on mortality is obscure but the NPCR in Sweden will serve as an important tool in such evaluation.

Long-term follow-up of conservatively managed incidental carcinoma of the prostate A multivariate analysis of prognostic factors

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the disease-specific mortality of conservatively managed incidental carcinoma of the prostate (T1a and T1b) in relation to prognostic factors.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Since 1987 all patients with prostate cancer have been recorded and followed in the population-based Prostate Cancer Register of the South-East Healthcare Region in Sweden, which is covered by four departments of pathology. At two of these departments, tissue was obtained from 197 consecutive, previously untreated patients (aged <80 years) with incidental carcinoma who underwent transurethral resection of the prostate between 1987 and 1991. The amount of tumour, Gleason score and levels of Ki-67, p53, chromogranin A and serotonin were determined. Univariate analysis and multiple Cox regression hazard analysis were used for analysis.

RESULTS

During follow-up (mean 7.8 years; maximum 17.5 years), 158 patients (80%) had died, 33 of them of prostate cancer, corresponding to 17% of the entire cohort. Of 86 patients with Gleason score < or =5, three died of prostate cancer. Independent predictors of disease-specific mortality in multivariate analysis were category T1b prostate cancer, Gleason score >5 and high immunoreactivity of Ki-67.

CONCLUSIONS

Elderly men with category T1a and/or Gleason score 4-5 prostate cancer have a favourable prognosis with conservative management. Immunohistochemical staining with Ki-67 may be of help in situations where further prognostic information is required.

Reliability of death certificates in prostate cancer patients

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the reliability of cause-of-death diagnoses among prostate cancer patients.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Information from death certificates obtained from the Swedish Death Register was compared with systematically reviewed medical records from the population-based Swedish Regional Prostate Cancer Register, South-East Region. In total, 5675 patients were included who had been diagnosed with prostate cancer between 1987 and 1999 and who had died before 1 January 2003.

RESULTS

The proportion of prostate cancer cases classified as having died from prostate cancer was 3% higher in the official death certificates than in the reviewed records [0.03, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.02 to 0.04]. Overall agreement between the official cause of death and the reviewed data was 86% (95% CI 85 to 87%). A higher accuracy was observed among men with localized disease (88%, 95% CI 87 to 89%), aged 60 years or younger at death (96%, 95% CI 93 to 100%), or who had undergone curative treatment (91%, 95% CI 88 to 95%). This study indicates a relatively high reliability of official cause-of-death statistics of prostate cancer patients in Sweden.

CONCLUSION

Mortality data obtained from death certificates may be useful in the evaluation of large-scale prostate cancer intervention programmes, especially among younger patients with localized disease.

Clinical characteristics and primary treatment of prostate cancer in Sweden between 1996 and 2005

OBJECTIVE

The incidence of prostate cancer is rising rapidly in Sweden and there is a need to better understand the pattern of diagnosis, tumor characteristics and treatment.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Between 1996 and 2005, all new cases of adenocarcinoma of the prostate gland were intended to be registered in the National Prostate Cancer Register (NPCR). This register contains information on diagnosing unit, date of diagnosis, cause of diagnosis, tumor grade, tumor stage according to the TNM classification in force, serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels at diagnosis and primary treatment given within the first 6 months after diagnosis.

RESULTS

In total, 72,028 patients were registered, comprising >97% of all pertinent incident cases of prostate cancer in the Swedish Cancer Register (SCR). During the study period there was a considerable decrease in median age at the time of diagnosis, a stage migration towards smaller tumors, a decrease in median serum PSA values at diagnosis, a decrease in the age-standardized incidence rate of men diagnosed with distant metastases or with a PSA level of > 100 ng/ml at diagnosis and an increase in the proportion of tumors with Gleason score <6. Relatively large geographical differences in the median age at diagnosis and the age-standardized incidence of cases with category T1c tumors were observed. Treatment with curative intent increased dramatically and treatment patterns varied according to geographical region. In men with localized tumors and a PSA level of <20 ng/ml at diagnosis, expectant treatment was more commonly used in those aged > or =75 years than in those aged <75 years. Also, the pattern of endocrine treatment varied in different parts of Sweden.

CONCLUSIONS

All changes in the register seen over time are consistent with increased diagnostic activity, especially PSA testing, resulting in an increased number of cases with early disease, predominantly tumors in category T1c. The patterns of diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer vary considerably in different parts of Sweden. The NPCR continues to be an important source for research, epidemiological surveillance of the incidence, diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer.

The patient's choice of androgen-deprivation therapy in locally advanced prostate cancer: bicalutamide, a gonadotrophin-releasing hormone analogue or orchidectomy

OBJECTIVE

To investigate patient preference for three established androgen-deprivation therapies for locally advanced prostate cancer; the patient's capacity to decide his therapy; the reasons for selecting a certain mode of therapy; and patient satisfaction with the chosen therapy 3 months after initiation.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

In all, 150 patients (mean age 75 years, range 57-89) with previously untreated locally advanced prostate cancer from 13 hospitals were consecutively given the chance to choose between the antiandrogenic oral drug bicalutamide, a gonadotrophin-releasing hormone analogue (GnRH) by injection, or surgical orchidectomy. After discussing the nature of their disease the patients took home written information about prostate cancer and the three different treatment options. After 1 week they were assessed using a questionnaire for biographical data, their attitude towards the different treatment alternatives and their choice of therapy. Three months later the patients completed a questionnaire about the treatment they had undergone.

RESULTS

Sixty-three patients (42%) chose bicalutamide, 51 (34%) the GnRH analogue and 36 (24%) orchidectomy; 87% of those choosing bicalutamide, 84% GnRH and 94% orchidectomy, respectively, were sure about their choice but 12%, 17% and 3% of the patients, respectively, had some difficulty in deciding. The most important reasons for the therapy chosen were avoidance of injections and surgery, and a lower risk of impotence (bicalutamide), negative attitude to surgery and tablets (GnRH), and avoidance of injections and tablets (orchidectomy). Almost all patients (98%, 98% and 97%, respectively) were satisfied with their choice after 3 months of treatment.

CONCLUSION

There are three equally effective forms of androgen deprivation for locally advanced prostate cancer without known metastases. There are major differences among these treatments in the mode of application and the likelihood and impact of side-effects. When patients are fully informed and play an active role in the treatment decision they are satisfied with their decision 3 months later.

Evidence that prostate gonadotropin-releasing hormone receptors mediate an anti-tumourigenic response to analogue therapy in hormone refractory prostate cancer

Gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogue (GnRHa) therapy is an established method of androgen withdrawal in the treatment of prostate cancer. The present study investigated if the expression of prostate GnRH receptors (GnRHRs) might influence the response to GnRHa. GnRHR protein expression was first studied in a panel of prostate cancer cell lines. In androgen-dependent cells, GnRHR expression was unchanged following acute or chronic androgen withdrawal. In these cells, GnRHa significantly inhibited androgen-induced cell proliferation (p = 0.01). In contrast, GnRHa was unable to further suppress basal levels of cell proliferation induced by androgen withdrawal. In androgen-independent prostate cancer cells, variable levels of GnRHR expression were observed. In these cells, GnRHa treatment blocked cell proliferation (p = 0.001) and invasion (up to 70%) induced by fibroblast growth factor stimulation. Crucially, this effect was only evident in cells that expressed high levels of the GnRHR. GnRHa treatment also significantly inhibited the ability of these cells to recover from a cytotoxic insult (50% inhibition). The clinical significance of prostate GnRHR was tested by immunohistochemistry in a preliminary cohort of patients treated with GnRHa or surgical castration. There was no association between GnRHR expression and pathological grade, clinical stage, time to PSA nadir (p = 0.82) (n = 35) or progression to hormone refractory disease (p = 0.22) (n = 21), irrespective of the treatment method. GnRHa therapy in the presence of high GnRHR expression however, was found to be associated with longer disease-specific survival (mean survival 85 months, p = 0.002). In contrast, high GnRHR expression was not associated with survival among surgically castrated patients (mean survival 50 months, p = 0.7). Taken together, these data support the notion of a functional interaction between GnRHa and the GnRHR, which results in an anti-tumourigenic effect on prostate cancer cells. Findings from this report have direct implications for the use of GnRHR as a novel therapeutic target in hormone refractory prostate cancer.

Survival in prostate carcinoma?Outcomes from a prospective, population-based cohort of 8887 men with up to 15 years of follow-up

BACKGROUND

To decide on screening strategies and curative treatments for prostate carcinoma, it is necessary to determine the incidence and survival in a population that is not screened.

METHODS

The 15-year projected survival data were analyzed from a prospective, complete, population-based registry of 8887 patients with newly diagnosed prostate carcinoma from 1987 to 1999.

RESULTS

The median patient age at diagnosis was 75 years (range, 40-96 years), and 12% of patients were diagnosed before the age 65 years. The median follow-up was 80 months for patients who remained alive. In total, 5873 of 8887 patients (66.1%) had died, and 2595 of those patients (44.2%) died directly due to prostate carcinoma. The overall median age at death was 80 years (range, 41-100 years). The projected 15-year disease-specific survival rate was 44% for the whole population. In total, 18% of patients had metastases at diagnosis (M1), and their median survival was 2.5 years. Patients with nonmetastatic T1-T3 prostate carcinoma (age < 75 years at diagnosis; n=2098 patients) had a 15-year projected disease-specific survival rate of 66%. Patients who underwent radical prostatectomy had a significantly lower risk of dying from prostate carcinoma (relative risk, 0.40) compared with patients who were treated with noncurative therapies or radiotherapy.

CONCLUSIONS

The disease-specific mortality was comparatively high, but it took 15 years to reach a disease-specific mortality rate of 56%. These data form a truly population-based baseline on how prostate carcinoma will affect a population when screening is not applied and can be used for comparison with other health care strategies.

Prostate cancer incidence and mortality rates and trends in the United States and Canada

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study was to compare prostate cancer incidence and mortality trends between the United States and Canada over a period of approximately 30 years.

METHODS

Prostate cancer incident cases were chosen from the National Cancer Institute's Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) Program to estimate rates for the United States white males and from the Canadian Cancer Registry for Canadian men. National vital statistics data were used for prostate cancer mortality rates for both countries, and age-adjusted and age-specific incidence and mortality rates were calculated. Joinpoint analysis was used to identify significant changes in trends over time.

RESULTS

Canada and the U.S. experienced 3.0% and 2.5% growth in age-adjusted incidence from 1969-90 and 1973-85, respectively. U.S. rates accelerated in the mid- to late 1980s. Similar patterns occurred in Canada with a one-year lag. Annual age-adjusted mortality rates in Canada were increasing 1.4% per year from 1977-93 then fell 2.7% per year from 1993-99. In the U.S., annual age-adjusted mortality rates for white males increased 0.7% from 1969-1987 and 3.0% from 1987-91, then decreased 1.2% and 4.5% during the 1991-94 and 1994-99 periods, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Recent incidence patterns observed between the U.S. and Canada suggest a strong relationship to prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test use. Clinical trials are required to determine any effects of PSA test use on prostate cancer and overall mortality.

Is There a “Curative” Role of Radiotherapy for Clinically Localized Hormone Refractory Prostate Cancer?

Whether definitive radiotherapy (RT) is still an option for patients with clinically prostate-confined prostate cancer treated with androgen deprivation (AD) alone who develop a rising prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is not clear. In this retrospective series, we report the outcome of 29 such patients treated with "curative" radiotherapy at our institution between 1991 and 2000. At initial diagnosis, all patients had evidence of prostate-confined disease and for several reasons underwent AD alone. Afterward all patients developed rising PSA, but again, without clinical evidence of distant/pelvic node disease. All underwent RT with curative intent up to 70 Gy (66 to 76 Gy). Median follow-up after radiotherapy is 33.1 month (range: 7-134.2 months). For living patients, minimum and median follow-ups are 30.4 and 55.4 months, respectively. Twenty-three patients (79%) developed overt clinical disease, most of which (19/23, 83%) involved distant sites, whereas isolated locoregional failure was observed in only 4 patients (4/23, 17%). The estimates of locoregional control rate (LRC), actuarial incidence of distant metastases, and overall survival at 5 years are 89 +/- 7%, 68 +/- 9%, and 28 +/- 9%, respectively. Although we were unable to find any predictor of LRC at univariate analysis, patients with low Gleason score at diagnosis, lower PSA at RT, lower risk category and advanced age were less likely to develop distant disease. RT has a palliative role, because most patients with still presumed localized hormone refractory prostate cancer will develop distant metastases. A subset of patients, those with more differentiated tumor at diagnosis and with pre-RT PSA less than 20 ng/mL, might be considered for a more aggressive locoregional approach.

A population-based study of pain and quality of life during the year before death in men with prostate cancer

In order to explore how health-related quality of life changes towards the end of life, a questionnaire including the EuroQOl form and the Brief Pain Inventory form was sent to all men with prostate cancer in the county of Östergötland, Sweden, in September 1999. Responders who had died prior to 1 January 2001 were later identified retrospectively. Of the 1442 men who received the questionnaire, 1243 responded (86.2%). In the group of responders, 167 had died within the study period, 66 of prostate cancer. In multivariate analysis, pain as well as death within the period of study were found to predict decreased quality of life significantly. Of those who died of prostate cancer, 29.0% had rated their worst pain the previous week as severe. The same figure for those still alive was 10.5%. On a visual analogue scale (range 0–100), the mean rating of quality of life for those who subsequently died of prostate cancer was 54.0 (95% confidence interval ±5.2) and those still alive was 70.0 (±1.2). In conclusion, health-related quality of life gradually declines during the last year of life in men with prostate cancer. This decline may partly be avoided by an optimised pain management.

Decreasing mortality rates for prostate cancer: possible role of hormonal therapy?

Within the last decade prostate cancer mortality rates have started to decrease in some countries. Although it is tempting to assume that these trends are a result of earlier diagnosis and aggressive therapeutic intervention, as a consequence of prostate-specific antigen screening, definitive results from randomized trials of screening will not be available for several years. Moreover, there is mounting evidence that the effects of screening cannot be entirely responsible for this reduction in mortality rates. This review explores the possibility that other factors, particularly the increased uptake of early hormonal therapy, are contributing to the observed changes in mortality.

Medical and non-medical determinants of prostate cancer management: a population-based study

Non-medical factors influencing treatment choices in prostate cancer are not well understood. We carried out a population-based study to obtain information on the management of prostate cancer patients. Our study population consisted of 1000 men diagnosed during 1995 from five French cancer registries. We looked at the main treatments performed in the year following diagnosis. Multivariate analysis was used to describe the determinants of the various treatment choices, simultaneously taking into account medical and non-medical factors. The probability of treatment by radical prostatectomy (RP) was 3 times higher in the Tarn area, whereas in the Calvados area the probability of treatment by radiotherapy was almost 6 times higher. The private sector favoured radical prostatectomy and hormonal therapy. In France, as in other developed countries, the initial treatment of prostate cancer varies greatly according to non-medical factors. This type of investigation, if carried out regularly, would make it possible to evaluate changes in practice patterns.

Technological changes in the management of prostate cancer result in increased healthcare costs--a retrospective study in a defined Swedish population

OBJECTIVE

In two previous studies we calculated direct costs for men with prostate cancer who died in 1984-85 and 1992-93, respectively. We have now performed a third cost analysis to enable a longitudinal cost comparison. The aim was to calculate direct costs for the management of prostate cancer, describe the economic consequences of technological changes over time and estimate total direct costs for prostate cancer in Sweden.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

A total of 204 men in a defined population with a diagnosis of prostate cancer and who died in 1997-98 were included. Data on utilization of health services were extracted from clinical records from time of diagnosis to death from a university hospital and from one county hospital in the county of Ostergötland.

RESULTS

The average direct cost per patient has been nearly stable over time (1984-85: 143 000 SEK; 1992-93: 150 000 SEK; 1997-98: 146 000 SEK). The share of costs for drugs increased from 7% in 1992-93 to 17% in 1997-98. The total direct costs for prostate cancer in Sweden have increased over time (1994-85: 610 MSEK; 1992-93: 860 MSEK; 1997-98: 970 MSEK).

CONCLUSIONS

Two-thirds of the total cost is incurred by inpatient care. The share of the total costs for drugs is increasing due to increased use of gonadotrophin-releasing hormone analogues. Small changes in average direct costs per patient despite greater use of technology are explained by the fact that more prostate cancers are detected at the early stages.

Prostate-specific antigen for prostate cancer staging in a population-based register

OBJECTIVE

Previous studies have shown a relationship between serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level and prostate tumour volume. Reports based on selected case series have also indicated that serum PSA may be used for staging, although a varying prevalence of metastasizing tumours complicates the interpretation of these studies. In order to determine the accuracy of the serum level of PSA in predicting the presence of metastases we performed a prospective cohort study of a geographically defined population of men with prostate cancer.

METHODS

Serum level of PSA and the results of investigations for regional lymph node and distant metastases were recorded for all 8328 men with prostate cancer registered in the Swedish National Prostate Cancer Register 1996-1997.

RESULTS

The prevalence of lymph node metastases among men who had undergone lymph node exploration was 4%, 16% and 33% for well, moderately and poorly differentiated tumours. The corresponding prevalence of distant metastases was 12%, 30% and 48%. With serum PSA <20 ng/ml as a cut-off point the negative likelihood ratios for well and moderately differentiated tumours were found to be 0.47 and 0.45 for lymph node metastases and 0.24 and 0.18 for distant metastases, resulting in post-test probabilities >92% for the exclusion of metastases. In men with poorly differentiated tumours, the negative likelihood ratio would need to be even lower to safely exclude disseminated disease.

CONCLUSION

For well to moderately differentiated tumours, further investigations to assess the presence of metastases may be omitted with no great risk for understaging if serum PSA <20 ng/ml.

Screening for prostate cancer with prostate-specific antigen: beware the biases

BACKGROUND

The evidence relating to the use of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) as a screening test is a highly controversial, as demonstrated by the lack of agreement among experts. There may be biases associated with various studies.

ISSUES

The main controversy is the relatively high prevalence of prostate cancer (PC) found at autopsy compared with the relatively low death rate from the disease. The lack of modifiable risk factors has led to early detection as a strategy to reduce mortality, as there is evidence for a significant burden of disease. Important issues are the accuracy of current screening tests, some attempts to improve on them, and whether there are good prognostic markers. The consequences of PSA testing (usually further testing including biopsy) and outcomes of treatment are presented in terms of mortality and morbidity; quality of life (QOL) must also be considered. Also important are the benefits from, and the difficulties associated with the "informed choice" approach to PSA screening.

CONCLUSION

There is evidence to suggest that biases can have a significant impact on the utility of PSA as a screening test for PC.

Decline in bilateral orchiectomy for prostate cancer in Olmsted county, Minnesota, 1956-2000

OBJECTIVE

To assess long-term secular trends in the utilization of bilateral compared with unilateral orchiectomy in the community.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

This population-based descriptive study reviewed medical records of all Olmsted County, Minnesota, men undergoing orchiectomy between 1956 and 2000.

RESULTS

Over the 45-year study period, 381 Olmsted County men had a first unilateral orchiectomy, while 431 underwent bilateral orchiectomy (including 8 with a second unilateral orchiectomy). There was no change over time in the age-adjusted utilization of unilateral orchiectomy, which was performed for a wide range of indications, mostly cryptorchidism and testicular malignancy. Most bilateral procedures, on the other hand, were in elderly men for castration, and trends over time generally paralleled those reported for prostate cancer in this community.

CONCLUSION

The declining incidence of prostate cancer in recent years, combined with a shift to earlier stages and younger ages at diagnosis, and the development of pharmacological approaches to hormonal manipulation have led to a dramatic decline in the utilization of bilateral orchiectomy, while unilateral orchiectomy rates have remained unchanged.

Pain and health-related quality of life in a geographically defined population of men with prostate cancer

In order to provide baseline data on pain and health-related quality of life, to explore factors predicting pain and reduced quality of life, and to find potentially undertreated cases in men with prostate cancer, we undertook a population-based questionnaire study. The questionnaire, which included the EuroQo1 instrument, the Brief Pain Inventory form and 8 specially designed questions, was sent to all men with prostate cancer in the county of Ostergötland, Sweden. Of the 1442 men included in the study, 1243 responded to the questionnaire. Altogether 42% had perceived pain during the previous week and 26% stated their quality of life to be 50% or lower on a visual analogue scale. A high rating of health care availability and short time since diagnosis were found to significantly predict lower ratings of pain (P< 0.05). Pain was found to be a significant predictive factor for decreased quality of life together with high age, low rating of health care availability and palliative treatment (P< 0.05). In conclusion, assessment and treatment of pain is essential for a good quality of life in men with prostate cancer. The monitoring of prostate cancer patients should be individualized to fit the demands of the groups with the greatest need for support.

Incidence rate and management of prostate carcinoma

The age-standardised incidence of prostate cancer varies more than one hundredfold between the areas with the highest and lowest incidences in the world. In certain areas, in particular the Western countries, the incidence has increased rapidly over the last 20 years. There are several environmental and genetic factors which partly explain these variations, although the incidence probably depends most of all on the extent to which small latent tumours are detected. As the clinical significance of small tumours is uncertain, the value of early diagnosis and early aggressive treatment is controversial. Randomised trials addressing this question have been initiated and will hopefully provide more evidence-based data in a decade from now. Small localised tumours are managed by radical surgery or radiation therapy. In elderly men or men unfit for operation or radiation therapy surveillance is often preferred. For advanced or metastatic prostate cancers androgen deprivation has been the mainstay of treatment since the early 1940s. Recently, several new treatment strategies have evolved but have not yet been introduced into clinical routine.