Survival in blacks and whites after treatment for localized prostate cancer

Abstract

Purpose: Racial differences were assessed in all cause and disease related actuarial survivals after treatment for localized prostate cancer.

Materials and methods: We studied 148 black and 209 white men with clinical stages T1b to 4NXMO prostate cancer treated with surgery or radiation therapy between 1980 and 1991 at a Veterans Affairs medical center.

Results: After a median potential followup of 96 months, there were no significant differences in the all cause, cause specific, metastases-free, clinical disease-free or prostate specific antigen disease-free survivals in 109 black and 167 white men with stages T1b to 2 cancer treated with surgery or radiation therapy, or in 39 black and 42 white men with stages T3 to 4 cancer treated with radiation therapy.

Conclusions: Race appears to have no impact on the stage specific actuarial survivals in men with localized prostate cancer treated with surgery or radiation therapy in an equal access health care system.