Radical prostatectomy is an operation in which prostate gland along with the tissue surrounding it is eradicated. According to a study initiated by the Mayo Clinic, radical prostatectomy aids patients in the early-stage of prostate cancer. It was claimed that radical prostatectomy is a benchmark for treatment of men with prostate cancer that has not spread.
Scientists spanned long-term data registry of 10,332 men who had gone through radical prostatectomy for localized prostate cancer between 1987 and 2004. The time period was possibly chosen because prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test was introduced for prostate cancer detection in this era. Factors such as overall survival, cancer-specific survival, progression-free survival and local recurrence at five to 20 years were considered. Experts noted that while 3 percent patients died of prostate cancer and five percent had their cancer spread to other organs, 6 percent reported a local recurrence of the disease.
Median survival time for the study volunteers was 19 years and 8,000 are apparently living to date. The mean and median follow-up period was 11 years. R. Jeffrey Karnes, M.D., a Mayo Clinic urologist and senior author on the study, and colleagues claim that during this time period radical prostatectomy was the primary treatment for men. Previous analysis have highlighted PSA test as less beneficial for prostate cancer patients. This test may fail to show improved survival rates.
The study was presented at the North Central Section of the American Urological Association’s 84th Annual Meeting in Chicago.