Purpose
To test the effect of age on cancer-specific mortality (CSM) in most contemporary prostate cancer (PCa) patients of all stages and across all treatment modalities.
Methods
Within the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database (2004–2016), we identified 579,369 PCa patients. Cumulative incidence plots and multivariable competing-risks regression analyses (MCR) were used. Subgroup analyses were performed according to ethnicity (African-Americans), clinical stage (T1-2N0M0, T3-4N0M0, TanyN1M0, and TanyNanyM1), as well as treatment modalities.
Results
Patient distribution was as follows: 142,338 (24.6%) < 60 years; 113,064 (19.5%) 60–64 years; 127,158 (21.9%) 65–69 years; 94,782 (16.4%) 70–74 years; and 102,027 (17.6%) ≥ 75 years. Older patients harbored worse tumor characteristics and more frequently received no local treatment. Overall, 10-year CSM rates were 4.8, 5.3, 5.9, 7.6, and 14.6%, respectively, in patients aged < 60, 60–64, 65–69, 70–74 ,and ≥ 75 years (p < 0.001). In MCR focusing on the overall cohort and T1-2N0M0 patients, older age independently predicted higher CSM, but not in T3-4N0-1M0-1 patients.
Conclusions
Older age was associated with higher grade and stage and independently predicted higher CSM in T1-2N0M0 patients, but not in higher stages. Differences in diagnostics and therapeutics seem to affect elderly patients within T1-2N0M0 PCa and should be avoided if possible.