RESEARCH ARTICLE


Do Epidemiological Parameters in Patients with Localized Prostate Cancer have an Influence on whether a Patient is Envisaged for Surgery or Brachytherapy?



Ruth Kirschner-Hermanns*, Thomas Klementz, Gerhard Jakse , Bernhard Brehmer
Urological Clinic, University Clinic Aachen, Germany

Article Information


Identifiers and Pagination:

Year: 2011
Volume: 4
First Page: 1
Last Page: 8
Publisher ID: TOUNJ-4-1
DOI: 10.2174/1874303X01104010001

Article History:

Received Date: 18/7/2010
Revision Received Date: 11/11/2010
Acceptance Date: 13/11/2010
Electronic publication date: 14/4/2011
Collection year: 2011

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Creative Commons License
© Kirschner-Hermanns et al.; Licensee Bentham Open.

open-access license: This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/), which permits unrestrictive use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

* Address correspondence to this author at the Clinic of Urology, University Clinic Aachen, Pauwelsstr. 30, D-52057 Aachen, Germany; Tel: 0049-241-8080068; Fax: 0049-241-8082441; E-mail: ruthkirsch@aol.com


Abstract

Introduction:

Only few studies comparing treatment outcome for patients with localized prostate cancer control their results for the possible confounding of demographic and clinical parameters. This fact prompted us to compare epidemiological data of patients before receiving brachytherapy (BT) to patients envisaged for radical prostatectomy (RP).

Methodology:

We looked at demographic and clinical data as well as standardized questionnaires for 856 patients. In a logistic regression analysis parameters proven to be significantly different in a university analysis were further analyzed.

Results:

Data of 676 patients (79%) could be evaluated. Patients before radical prostatectomy (RPP) scored best in physical functioning, role functioning and sexual activity. Patients planned for low-dose rate brachytherapy (LDR) indicated the biggest problems in partnership and sexuality. The health insurance status was not equally distributed. However, in a logistic regression analysis of patients envisaged for surgical treatment only age and physical functioning could be identified as independent factors that differ significantly between treatment groups (p<0.01), but not role functioning, sexual activity, status of health insurance, global health-related quality of life, level of education and mean PSA before treatment.

Discussion:

Comparative outcome studies for radical prostatectomy and brachytherapy ignore epidemiological differences. Our investigation demonstrate that younger age (odds ratio: 1.56) and higher scores of ‘physical functioning’ (odds ratio: 1.22) are strongly associated with a higher probability of receiving a surgical procedure when diagnosed with localized prostate cancer

Conclusions:

Comparative outcome studies for different treatment modalities have to control their data for epidemiological differences, especially for age and physical functioning

Keywords: : Brachytherapy, epidemiology, incontinence, prostatectomy, prostate cancer, quality of life, urinary incontinence..