Study Finds High Survival Rate After Cystectomy for Prostate Cancer

Researchers in Germany found men who underwent cystectomy for stage T4 prostate cancer had improved tumor control and survival rate, according to a report presented at the European Association of Urology 27th Annual Congress.

Patients with stage T4 prostate cancer are at high risk for disease progression and cancer-related death. Martin Spahn, MD, a surgical urologist from the University Hospital Würzburg, Germany, followed 62 patients with clinical stage T4 prostate cancer who were treated with radical cystectomy.

After a 5-year follow up, the investigators found that 35 percent of patients who underwent a cystectomy were tumor free and 20 percent were metastasis free 10 years after surgery. There was no difference between cancer-specific survival and overall survival.

During cystectomy, the prostate and the bladder are removed. After surgery, half the patients had positive surgical margins and half had lymph node involvement. Many patients received adjuvant radiotherapy, hormonal therapy, and chemotherapies.