title: Survival of patients with small cell carcinoma of the prostate during 1973-2003: a population-based study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe the survival of patients with primary small cell carcinoma (SCC) of the prostate and assess prognostic factors based on a large population sample.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 241 cases of SCC of the prostate were reported to the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) registries from 1973 to 2003 of which 191 cases were included in our study. We used the Kaplan-Meier method for estimating survival, and Cox proportional hazard regression modelling to evaluate prognostic variables.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The overall age-adjusted incidence rate was 0.278 per 1,000,000 (95% confidence interval, 0.239-0.323). In all, 60.5% presented as metastatic disease compared with 39.5% who presented as local/regional disease (P= 0.012). The 12, 24, 36, 48 and 60 months observed survival rates were 47.9%, 27.5%, 19%, 17% and 14.3% respectively. On univariate analyses, age <60, concomitant low-grade prostatic adenocarcinoma, absence of metastasis, prostatectomy and radiation therapy were favourable prognostic factors. In multivariate regression modelling, age, pathology and stage were strong predictors of survival.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Using the SEER database, we present the largest study describing the epidemiology of primary SCC of the prostate. We found age, concomitant low-grade prostatic adenocarcinoma, and stage of the disease to be the strongest predictors of survival for patients with prostatic SCC. Future studies evaluating a broader range of clinical and molecular markers are needed to refine the prognostic model of this relatively rare disease.
authors: Divisions of Urology Biostatistics, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA. sundeepdeorah@gmail.com
authors: Sundeep
authors: S
authors: Deorah
authors: Marepalli B
authors: MB
authors: Rao
authors: Rachna
authors: R
authors: Raman
authors: Krishnanath
authors: K
authors: Gaitonde
authors: James F
authors: JF
authors: Donovan
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000401:mortality* / Q000628:therapy; D000368:Aged; D018288:Carcinoma, Small Cell / Q000401:mortality* / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality* / Q000628:therapy; D012307:Risk Factors; D018426:SEER Program; D015996:Survival Rate; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology