Causes of death in men undergoing androgen suppression therapy for newly diagnosed localized or recurrent prostate cancer.
BACKGROUND
The authors estimated and characterized mortality after androgen suppression therapy (AST) use in men with newly diagnosed localized and recurrent prostate cancer.


METHODS
The study cohorts comprised 102 men who were randomized to radiation therapy (RT) and AST and 46 men who underwent salvage AST for recurrence from a randomized trial that compared external beam RT and 6 months of AST to RT. Cox regression multivariable analyses were performed to estimate the mortality hazard ratio (HR) in men with moderate to severe as compared with no or minimal comorbidity, adjusting for age and known prostate cancer prognostic factors.


RESULTS
After a median follow-up of 8.4 years (interquartile range: 7.2-9.6 years), prostate cancer-specific mortality (PCSM) comprised 13% and 75% of all mortality in men with newly diagnosed localized and recurrent prostate cancer, respectively. There was an increased risk of death in men with moderate to severe as compared with no or minimal comorbidity (adjusted HR [AHR], 11.5; 95% confidence interval [CI], 5.2-25.6; P < .001) in men with newly diagnosed localized prostate cancer but not in men with recurrent prostate cancer (AHR, 2.5; 95% CI, 0.2-37.8; P = .51).


CONCLUSIONS
The ability to measure an increase in the risk of death in men with moderate to severe as compared with no or minimal comorbidity undergoing AST decreases as the risk of PCSM increases, which may explain the discordance in the literature regarding the risk of cardiovascular death and AST use.
D'Amico
Anthony V
AV
Department of Radiation Oncology, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215, USA. adamico@partners.org
Chen
Ming-Hui
MH
Renshaw
Andrew A
AA
Loffredo
Marian
M
Kantoff
Philip W
PW
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000726:Androgen Antagonists / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000401:mortality; D002423:Cause of Death; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D015897:Comorbidity; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality* / Q000532:radiotherapy; D012008:Recurrence; D012306:Risk; D016019:Survival Analysis
D000726:Androgen Antagonists