Older, sicker men with prostate cancer do not benefit from aggressive treatment

Treating older men who have early-stage prostate cancer along with other serious underlying health problems using aggressive therapies like surgery or radiation does not help them live longer, a UCLA study shows. In fact, it can be detrimental, researchers said. The study followed the cases of more than 140,500 men aged 66 and older who were diagnosed with early-stage prostate cancer between 1991 and 2007. The data for the retrospective research came from the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) Medicare database. The researchers found that among these men, those who also suffered from multiple major medical conditions, such as a history of heart attack, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and diabetes in combination, did not live any longer after receiving aggressive therapy than the men who received no treatment. Additionally, these men were at risk for side effects such as impotence, urinary incontinence and bowel problems, which can result from surgery and radiation treatments. The UCLA team used the Charlson Index when looking at these men and their health problems. The index can be used to predict 10-year mortality for a patient who may have a range of other health problems, or co-morbid conditions. A prostate cancer patient with diabetes may score a 1 on the index, while a man with multiple or more severe health problems might score a 3 or higher. The study, which followed the men for 15 years after diagnosis, found that prostate cancer patients with Cha...
Source: UCLA Newsroom: Health Sciences - Category: Universities & Medical Training Source Type: news