Radical prostatectomy effective for aggressive forms of prostate cancer

Surgery provides excellent long-term control for high-risk prostate cancer patients. Collaborating researchers at Mayo Clinic and Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia discovered that patients with the most aggressive forms of prostate cancer who had radical prostatectomy procedures had a 10-year cancer-specific survival rate of 92 percent and an overall survival rate of 77 percent. The cancer-specific survival rate for patients who had radiation therapy alone was 88 percent and the overall survival rate was 52 percent.

However, further studies evaluating the differing impacts of treatments on quality of life and non-cancer mortality are necessary before doctors can determine the best approach for patients with aggressive prostate cancer

The findings were presented today at the North Central Section of the American Urological Association’s 84th Annual Meeting held in Chicago