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. 2013 Oct 5:11:258.
doi: 10.1186/1477-7819-11-258.

Changing trends in symptomatology, diagnostics, stage and survival of prostate cancer in Northern Finland during a period of 20 years

Outi T Kavasmaa  1 , Dimitri B Tyomkin, Aare Mehik, Teija M Parpala, Panu Tonttila, Ilkka Paananen, Pekka Kunelius, Markku H Vaarala, Pasi Ohtonen, Pekka A Hellström
Affiliations

Changing trends in symptomatology, diagnostics, stage and survival of prostate cancer in Northern Finland during a period of 20 years

Outi T Kavasmaa et al. World J Surg Oncol. .

Abstract

Background: Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men in many countries. The aim of the present study was to find out how the symptoms leading to a diagnosis, diagnostic procedures and stages of the disease among prostate cancer patients have changed over a period of 20 years.

Methods: This retrospective chart review consisted of 421 prostate cancer patients whose treatment was started in the years 1982, 1987, 1992, 1997 and 2002 at the Oulu University Hospital. Earlier prostatic disorders, specific urological symptoms, diagnostic procedures, the TNM classification and histological grade were recorded.

Results: The number of symptom-free prostate cancer patients increased over the 20 years, as did the number of men suffering from chronic prostatitis, although the latter increase was not statistically significant. A drop in the number of clinical T4 cases and increase of clinical T1 and clinical T2 cases was recorded but no clear change in the histological distribution occurred. The 5-year prostate cancer-specific survival improved significantly over the 20 years. The urologist was found to be the person who was contacted first most often.

Conclusions: Our data indicate that the number of prostate cancer patients has increased hugely over the period from 1982 to 2002 and although the clinical T stage has moved towards earlier stages, the proportion of well differentiated cancers remains low, so that most patients have clinically significant cancer with the need of some form of therapy. Further, prostate cancer-specific survival improved significantly over the period.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Diagnostic procedures performed outside the hospital. DRE: digital rectal examination. No symptoms or screened case: diagnostic examinations performed due to elevated serum acid phosphatase concentration, serum prostatic acid phosphatase concentration or prostate-specific antigen concentration. The numbers above the bars indicate the percentage of patients with specified diagnostic procedures among prostate cancer patients for each respective year.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Clinical T classification (TNM classification) of prostate cancer patients diagnosed throughout the period. The numbers above the bars indicate the percentage of patients with specified clinical T class among prostate cancer patients for each respective year. Number of diagnosed cases each year is shown (n) above the year of diagnosis.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Histological grade of prostate cancer patient diagnosed throughout the period. The numbers above the bars indicate the percentage of patients with specified tumour grade among prostate cancer patients at respective year. Number of diagnosed cases each year with grade data available is shown (n) above the year of diagnosis.
Figure 4
Figure 4
The 5-year prostate cancer-specific survival of prostate cancer patients with different treatment start year. The prostate-cancer-specific survival improved significantly (P <0.001) depending on the treatment start year.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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