Characteristics of patients with prostate cancer who have initially been treated by hormone therapy in Japan: J-CaP surveillance.
OBJECTIVE
Hormone therapy for prostate cancer has empirically prevailed in Japan. We planned to evaluate the trends and outcome of hormone therapy for establishing an adequate guideline.


METHODS
Patients with prostate cancer who were initially treated by hormone therapy were registered through the J-CaP registration system. This report summarizes the background factors.


RESULTS
From January 2001 to October 2003, 17,872 patients were registered from 395 institutes throughout Japan. The background factors of 17,312 patients were analyzed. The 17,872 patients were estimated as composing more than half of newly diagnosed prostate cancer patients in Japan. Of these, 22.9, 35.1, 32.9 and 8.6% belonged to T1, T2, T3 and T4, respectively. For the purposes of hormone therapy, 77.5% was primary hormone therapy. Neoadjuvant setting and adjuvant setting were 18.1 and 4.3%, respectively. About 60% of the hormone therapy was combined hormone therapy with LH-RHa plus anti-androgens.


CONCLUSIONS
Irrespective of patients' age, TNM, stage of illness, or histological background, the majority of prostate cancer patients in Japan are receiving hormone therapy. It is necessary to evaluate whether this trend is merely a continuation of past experience of Japanese urologists or if there is a difference in the profile of effect and side-effect in the case of Japanese patients compared to therapy given in Westerners.
Akaza
Hideyuki
H
Department of Urology, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan. akazah@md.tsukuba.ac.jp
Usami
Michiyuki
M
Hinotsu
Shiro
S
Ogawa
Osamu
O
Kagawa
Susumu
S
Kitamura
Tadaichi
T
Tsukamoto
Taiji
T
Naito
Seiji
S
Hirao
Yoshihiko
Y
Murai
Masaru
M
Yamanaka
Hidetoshi
H
D000368:Aged; D000726:Androgen Antagonists / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D018931:Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal / Q000627:therapeutic use; D007987:Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D008297:Male; D008495:Medical Oncology / Q000639:trends; D008875:Middle Aged; D009919:Orchiectomy / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000628:therapy*
D000726:Androgen Antagonists; D018931:Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal; D007987:Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone