Radical prostatectomy--long-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.


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.
Section of Urology, Ryhov County Hospital, Jönköping, Sweden.
Maria
M
Tol-Fakkar
Carl Gustaf
CG
Hermansson
Jonas
J
Hugosson
Knud
K
Pedersen
Gunnar
G
Aus
D000368:Aged; D003718:Denmark / Q000453:epidemiology; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D006764:Hospitals, Community / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D016522:Oncology Service, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen / Q000097:blood; D011468:Prostatectomy / Q000379:methods*; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D016019:Survival Analysis; D015996:Survival Rate; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen