Overall and disease-specific survival of patients with screen-detected prostate cancer in the European randomized study of screening for prostate cancer, section Rotterdam.
BACKGROUND
This report describes survival data of participants of the European Randomized Study of Screening for Prostate Cancer (ERSPC), section Rotterdam, diagnosed with prostate cancer (pCA) during the first round of screening, the prevalence screen.


METHODS
pCA characteristics from cases diagnosed during the first screening round from December 1993 to March 2000 are shown. During follow-up, data were collected by semiannual patient chart review for the first 5 yr and annually thereafter. The causes of death are scored according to the diagnosis of the treating physician and are not based on the review of the independent causes-of-death committee. Overall and disease-specific survival graphs are shown in Kaplan-Maier projections and compared with expected survival outcomes for males in the same age categories from the Dutch provinces of North Holland and Flevoland. Statistical evaluation was based on Cox regression analysis.


RESULTS
During the prevalence screening, 1014 patients were diagnosed with pCA. Median follow up was 55 mo, 126 (12.4%) patients died, 20 (2.0%) of pCA. Overall 5-yr observed and expected disease-specific survival was 97.7% and 82%, respectively. In the multivariate analysis, a Gleason sum of 4+4 or higher (p=0.025) was predictive of pCA death.


CONCLUSIONS
The observed survival data are in line with the literature and the expected favorable outcome for a screened population. The proportion of men dying from pCA is still small, and a 10-yr follow-up period for the final evaluation of the ERSPC may be too short.
de Vries
Stijn H
SH
Department of Urology, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands. jericholaan103@zonnet.nl <jericholaan103@zonnet.nl>
Postma
Renske
R
Raaijmakers
René
R
Roemeling
Stijn
S
Otto
Suzie
S
de Koning
Harry J
HJ
Schröder
Fritz H
FH
D000368:Aged; D005060:Europe; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000401:mortality*; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D015996:Survival Rate