Curative treatment of prostate cancer

The guidelines for the curative treatment of prostate cancer presented by t he German Society of Urology are discussed. They are based on the current k nowledge of the outcomes of surgical and radiotherapeutic treatment for pro state cancer. Radical prostatectomy is recommended as the first-line treatm ent for organ-confined prostate cancer in patients with an individual life expectancy of at least 10 years. Radiotherapy can be considered as an alter native treatment modality, although current knowledge does not allow a defi nite assessment of the relative value of radiotherapy compared to radical p rostatectomy. Locally advanced cT3 prostate cancer is overstaged in about 2 0% and curative treatment is possible in selected cases. Guidelines represe nt rules based on the available evidence. This implies that exceptions must be made whenever appropriate and that guidelines have to be reviewed regul arly as new information becomes available. Copyright (C) 1999 S. Karger AG. , Basel.