The likelihood of death from prostate cancer in men with favorable or unfavorable intermediate-risk disease.

Abstract

42 Background: Recently men with intermediate-risk prostate cancer (PC) were classified into favorable and unfavorable categories but whether the risk of PC-specific mortality (PCSM) amongst men with high-risk PC is higher compared to men with unfavorable intermediate-risk PC is unknown. Methods: In a prospective randomized trial conducted between 1995 and 2001, 206 men with intermediate or high-risk PC were randomized to 70 Gy with or without six months of androgen suppression therapy (AST). The subgroup of 197 patients with available information on percent positive biopsies formed the study cohort. Fine and Gray’s regression was used to assess whether men with high-risk PC had a significantly higher risk of PCSM compared to men with unfavorable intermediate-risk PC, adjusting for age, treatment, and comorbidity category. Results: After a median follow-up of 14.3 years there were 127 deaths (64.5%), of which 22 (17.3%) were from PC. There were no PC deaths in the favorable intermediate-risk group. There was no significant increase in the risk of PCSM in men with high-risk compared to unfavorable intermediate-risk PC (Adjusted Hazard Ratio: 1.59; 95% Confidence Interval: 0.66 to 3.83; P= 0.30) after adjusting for age, randomized treatment arm and comorbidity. Conclusions: Given no significant difference in the risk of PCSM in unfavorable intermediate compared with high-risk PC, these patients may merit treatment with RT and long-term AST. The lack of PC deaths in the favorable intermediate-risk group suggests that adding AST may not reduce the risk of PCSM in these patients. [Table: see text]