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. 2008 Mar;101(5):547-55.
doi: 10.1111/j.1464-410X.2007.07338.x. Epub 2008 Jan 10.

Secular trends in prostate cancer mortality, incidence and treatment: England and Wales, 1975-2004

Sabina Hussain  1 , David Gunnell, Jenny Donovan, Sean McPhail, Freddie Hamdy, David Neal, Peter Albertsen, Julia Verne, Peter Stephens, Caroline Trotter, Richard M Martin
Affiliations

Secular trends in prostate cancer mortality, incidence and treatment: England and Wales, 1975-2004

Sabina Hussain et al. BJU Int. 2008 Mar.

Abstract

Objective: To aid the interpretation of the trends in prostate cancer mortality, which declined in the UK in the early 1990 s for unknown reasons, by investigating prostate cancer death rates, incidence and treatments in England and Wales in 1975-2004.

Methods: Join-point regression was used to assess secular trends in mortality and incidence (source: Office of National Statistics), radical prostatectomy and orchidectomy (source: Hospital Episode Statistics database) and androgen-suppression drugs (source: Intercontinental Medical Statistics).

Results: Prostate cancer mortality declined from 1992 (95% confidence interval, CI, 1990-94). The relative decline in mortality to 2004 was greater and more sustained amongst men aged 55-74 years (annual percentage mortality reduction 2.75%; 95% CI 2.33-3.18%) than amongst those aged >or=75 years (0.71%, 0.26-1.15%). The use of radical prostatectomy increased between 1991 (89 operations) and 2004 (2788) amongst men aged 55-74 years. The prescribing of androgen suppression increased between 1987 (33,000 prescriptions) and 2004 (470,000).

Conclusions: The decrease in prostate cancer mortality was greater amongst men aged 55-74 years than in those aged >or=75 years, but pre-dated the substantial use of prostate-specific antigen screening and radical prostatectomy in the UK. An increase in radical therapy amongst younger groups with localized cancers and screen-detected low-volume locally advanced disease as a result of stage migration, as well as prolonged survival from increased medical androgen suppression therapy, might partly explain recent trends.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Annual age-specific prostate cancer incidence rates per 100,000 men in England and Wales, 1975-2004
Source: MB1 series, Office of National Statistics (formerly Office of Population Censuses and Surveys)
Figure 2
Figure 2. Annual age-specific prostate cancer mortality rates per 100,000 men in England and Wales, 1975-2004
Shaded area = Revised interpretation of WHO Rule 3 was introduced by the OPCS. Source: DH2, Mortality statistics: Cause. Office of National Statistics (formerly Office of Population Censuses and Surveys)
Figure 3
Figure 3. Observed and fitted prostate cancer mortality rates amongst 55-74 year olds per 100,000 men in England and Wales, 1975-2004
Source: DH2, Mortality statistics: Cause. Office of National Statistics (formerly Office of Population Censuses and Surveys)
Figure 4
Figure 4. Annual age-specific radical prostatectomy and orchidectomy rates per 100,000 men in England, 1991-2004
Source: Hospital Episodes Statistics Database, England. Rates for < 55 years not shown because of very low numbers.
Figure 5
Figure 5. Rates per 100,000 men of prescribing for hormone treatment for prostate cancer UK, 1975-2004
Source: IMS Health (Intercontinental Medical Statistics) Medical Data Index
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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