Prostate Cancer Treatment

Treatment

On this page:

• Benefits of Treatment
• Measure
• Period
• Trends
• Most Recent Estimates
• Healthy People 2020 Targets
• Key Issues
• Additional Information on Prostate Cancer Treatment

Benefits of Treatment

A meta-analysis comparing early hormonal therapy with hormonal therapy given later to men with locally advanced prostate cancer found a decrease in overall mortality for those who received early hormonal therapy, whether or not the patient had other treatment. Hormonal therapy is currently recommended for men at high risk of recurrence.

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Measure

Hormonal therapy following the diagnosis of prostate cancer.

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Period – 1998 and 2002

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Trends – Between 1998 and 2002, there were no significant changes in the use of hormonal therapy.

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Most Recent Estimates

The percentage of men with localized/regional prostate cancer given hormonal therapy was highest for those aged 80 years or older (52 percent) and lowest for men aged 40–49 years and 50–59 years (17 percent). An update on hormone use will be available in 2013.

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Healthy People 2020 Targets

There are no Healthy People targets for cancer treatment, including prostate cancer treatment.

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Key Issues

Currently, hormone therapy is recommended only for patients at high risk of recurrence. Zeliadt found that in 1999, African-American men aged 65 years or older were less often given androgen depravation therapy than were white men.

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Additional Information on Prostate Cancer Treatment

• Learn About Cancer (ACS)
  http://www.cancer.org/docroot/lrn/lrn_0.asp
• Prostate Cancer Treatment (PDQ®)
  http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/treatment/prostate/Patient
• Us TOO Prostate Cancer Education and Support
  http://www.ustoo.org/
• Zeliadt SB, Potosky AL, Etzioni R, Ramsey SD, Penson DF. Racial disparity in primary and adjuvant treatment for nonmetastatic prostate cancer: SEER-Medicare trends 1991 to 1999. Urology 2004 Dec;64(6):1171–6.

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Page last reviewed: June 20, 2012