Results of Follow-Up Study Regarding Prostate Cancer Treatments

A follow-up study regarding the two ways of treatment for prostate cancer, radical prostatectomy or watchful waiting was carried on by the Scandinavian Prostate Cancer Group Study 4 (SPCG-4) and concluded that radical prostatectomy reduces prostate cancer mortality and risk of metastases with little or no further increase in benefit 10 or more years after surgery.

The study spanned over a median period of 8.2 years on two randomization groups and it showed that radical prostatectomy reduces the risk of prostate cancer mortality and the risk of developing metastases. After another 3 years of follow-up, Professor Lars Holmberg from Uppsala, Sweden reported:

“Key questions following our previous analyses of this trial, which were based on a median of 8.2 years of follow-up, include whether the absolute and relative benefits of surgical treatment would increase during longer follow-up, as we hypothesized; whether overall mortality would remain reduced; whether the benefit is larger among younger than among older patients; and whether histopathologic parameters can predict lethal outcome following surgery. We think the answer may well be affirmative.
One of the most striking results of this study was the fact that, in a follow-up of side effects, symptoms and quality of life within the randomised study, the symptom profile was different in the two randomisation groups but the overall rating of quality of life was similar. This may mean that the side effects of radical prostatectomy wear off, people get used to it perhaps.
Radical prostatectomy has changed the natural history of prostate cancer. Furthermore it is not sufficient to only to perform PSA tests in post-prostatectomy patients, we do need more tests.”