Long-term survival of prostate cancer in southeastern Netherlands

With the increase in detection at an early stage, only a few and conflictin g results have been reported on the long-term outcome for prostate cancer b eyond 10 years. The vast majority of prostate cancer patients diagnosed bet ween 1955 and 1984 in southeastern Netherlands, with a population of almost one million inhabitants, did not receive any curative treatment. We calcul ated the prognosis for 10-year survivors of prostate cancer diagnosed in th e era preceding prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing to determine how lo ng these patients exhibited excess mortality. All patients under age 70 dia gnosed with prostate cancer and registered in the population-based Eindhove n Cancer Registry between 1955 and 1984 were included in the study. Relativ e survival was calculated for those who survived for at least 10 years (n = 174). Initially, these patients still exhibited an almost 25% excess morta lity risk, but this decreased with time and no excess mortality was found a fter 15 years.