What Do Prostate Cancer Patients Die Of?
Open Access
- 21 January 2011
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Oxford University Press (OUP) in The Oncologist
- Vol. 16 (2), 175-181
- https://doi.org/10.1634/theoncologist.2010-0338
Abstract
Background.: A recent rise in the incidence of prostate cancer and a more favorable outcome have increased the proportions of other causes of death in affected men. Extending the survival of prostate cancer patients thus requires knowledge of all causes of death. Methods.: Data on the population, cancers, and causes of death were gathered from the nationwide Swedish Family-Cancer Database. A Cox regression model, comparing prostate cancer patients with all other men, was applied. Hazard ratios (HR) were calculated both for the underlying cause and for dying with a specific cause listed among multiple causes of death. Findings.: Among 686,500 observed deaths, 62,500 were prostate cancer patients. For underlying causes other than prostate cancer, the highest cause-specific HRs were found for external causes (HR, 1.24; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.16–1.31), diseases of the pulmonary circulation (HR, 1.22; 95% CI, 1.09–1.37), and heart failure (HR, 1.18; 95% CI, 1.11–1.24). For specific multiple causes, the highest HRs were found for anemia (HR, 2.28; 95% CI, 2.14–2.42), diseases of the pulmonary circulation (HR, 1.61; 95% CI, 1.55–1.68), and urinary system disease (HR, 1.90; 95% CI, 1.84–1.96). Interpretations.: Prostate cancer patients have a higher risk for dying from various causes other than prostate cancer, including external causes and heart failure. Mechanisms have been proposed linking these elevated risks to both cancer and treatment. More attention should be paid to comorbidities in men with prostate cancer. The present study fulfills a gap in the knowledge of death causes in prostate cancer patients.Keywords
Funding Information
- Swedish Council for Working Life and Social Research
- Swedish Cancer Society
- Deutsche Krebshilfe
This publication has 32 references indexed in Scilit:
- Risk of thromboembolic diseases in men with prostate cancer: results from the population-based PCBaSe SwedenThe Lancet Oncology, 2010
- Immediate Risk for Cardiovascular Events and Suicide Following a Prostate Cancer Diagnosis: Prospective Cohort StudyPLoS Medicine, 2009
- Prostate Cancer Survivorship: Prevention and Treatment of the Adverse Effects of Androgen Deprivation TherapyJournal of General Internal Medicine, 2009
- Cause of death in patients with dementia disordersEuropean Journal of Neurology, 2009
- Cause of Death in Older Men After the Diagnosis of Prostate CancerJournal of the American Geriatrics Society, 2008
- Trousseau's syndrome: multiple definitions and multiple mechanismsBlood, 2007
- Comparison of Stage at Diagnosis of Cancer in Patients Who Are on Dialysis versus the General PopulationClinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology, 2007
- Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease During Androgen Deprivation Therapy for Prostate CancerJournal of Clinical Oncology, 2006
- Low Testosterone Levels and the Risk of Anemia in Older Men and WomenArchives of Internal Medicine, 2006
- Prostate cancer screening, changing age‐specific incidence trends and implications on familial riskInternational Journal of Cancer, 2004