A long-term study has shown that men with prostate cancer who had their prostate gland surgically removed right after diagnosis had a 17% higher chance of survival compared to those who waited for symptoms before starting treatment.
On average, these men lived over two years longer than those who delayed treatment.
This study, led by researchers from Uppsala University in Sweden, began in 1989 and lasted for 30 years. The findings were published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
According to Professor Lars Holmberg, one of the main researchers involved in the study, the length of the research is unique. It allowed scientists to understand how early treatment for prostate cancer affects a person’s lifespan.
Holmberg, who has worked on the study since it began, noted that few studies last this long, which makes the results particularly important.
The research compared two groups of men with prostate cancer. One group had their prostate gland removed as soon as the tumor was discovered. This surgery is called a prostatectomy.
The other group followed the standard practice at the time, which was to wait until the cancer caused symptoms before starting treatment, usually with hormone therapy.
Over the course of 10 years, 695 men with prostate cancer were recruited for the study. These men were followed up regularly until 2022 to track how their health progressed.
After three decades of follow-up, the results showed that most of the men had died from causes unrelated to prostate cancer.
However, the men who had surgery right after diagnosis had a 17% lower risk of dying from prostate cancer compared to those who delayed treatment. In addition to having a lower risk of death from cancer, these men also lived an average of 2.2 years longer.
Professor Anna Bill-Axelson, another researcher on the study and a urologist at Uppsala University Hospital, explained that these results show how prostate cancer treatment can have a long-lasting effect on a person’s life.
According to her, the timing of treatment matters a lot in how we interpret the results. If the study had been stopped after only a few years, the benefits of early surgery might not have been as clear. This long-term perspective is important in understanding the full impact of early surgery.
One important thing to know is that this study began before PSA testing became common. PSA, or prostate-specific antigen, is a blood test that can detect prostate cancer early, often before symptoms appear.
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, when this study began, most men in the trial were diagnosed with prostate cancer because they had noticeable symptoms. This is different from today, where many men are diagnosed through PSA testing, often catching the cancer in its early stages.
Today’s treatments are likely to have even better outcomes than those in the study, thanks to earlier detection. Despite this, Professor Holmberg believes that the results of this study are still relevant.
He points out that the choices patients make today about their treatment will affect them for the rest of their lives. Knowing the long-term benefits of early surgery can help doctors and patients make more informed decisions when choosing how to treat prostate cancer.
In conclusion, the 30-year study has provided strong evidence that early surgical removal of the prostate gland leads to better long-term survival rates for men with prostate cancer.
Although modern screening methods like PSA testing have improved early detection, the findings still underline the importance of considering early surgery as a valuable treatment option.
This research offers patients and doctors a clearer picture of the potential benefits of treating prostate cancer early, before symptoms appear.
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The research findings can be found in the New England Journal of Medicine.
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