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Prognostic Factors of Localized Prostate Cancer in Elderly Patients

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Management of Urological Cancers in Older People

Part of the book series: Management of Cancer in Older People ((volume 1))

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Abstract

Diagnosis of prostate cancer (PCa) in elderly men poses a serious challenge to most clinicians, with many of the opinion that radical treatment may result in complications affecting quality of life, and question whether if treated or untreated, the patient is likely to live long enough to die of the disease. However, there is good evidence that these cancers have worse tumor characteristics than those in younger men. In elderly patients, the number and severity of comorbid conditions and functional impairments are strong predictors of life expectancy. Recently, the International Society of Geriatric Oncology Prostate Cancer Working Group (SIOG) published guidelines on the management of PCa in men over the age of 70 and advises the approach should be the same as in younger men but tailored to their individual health status. To assist in decision-making, there are many tools available both in assessment of men in terms of comorbidity and eligibility for curative treatment, as well as nomograms to predict life expectancy in men with or without comorbidity following curative treatment. In this chapter, we describe the tumor and clinical characteristics of PCa’s in this age group, the importance of comorbidity and not age in terms of assessment, and the tools available to the clinician; discuss life expectancy and predictors of survival; and report on the recent guidelines from SIOG.

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Abbreviations

PCa:

Prostate cancer

PCSM:

Prostate cancer-specific mortality

RP:

Radical prostatectomy

RT:

Radiotherapy

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Urology, The Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, Dublin, Ireland

    Barry B. McGuire M.D., IMRCS

  2. Irish Cancer Society and Mater Misericordiae Hospital, University College, Dublin, Ireland

    John M. Fitzpatrick MCh, FRCSI, FC Urol (SA), FRCSGlas, FRCS

Authors
  1. Barry B. McGuire M.D., IMRCS
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  2. John M. Fitzpatrick MCh, FRCSI, FC Urol (SA), FRCSGlas, FRCS
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to John M. Fitzpatrick MCh, FRCSI, FC Urol (SA), FRCSGlas, FRCS .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Lyon-RTH Laënnec School of Medicine, Lyon, France

    Jean-Pierre Droz

  2. University of Liverpool, St Helens Teach, Marshalls Cross Road, St Helens, WA9 3DA, United Kingdom

    Riccardo A. Audisio

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McGuire, B.B., Fitzpatrick, J.M. (2013). Prognostic Factors of Localized Prostate Cancer in Elderly Patients. In: Droz, JP., Audisio, R. (eds) Management of Urological Cancers in Older People. Management of Cancer in Older People, vol 1. Springer, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-85729-999-4_7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-85729-999-4_7

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  • Online ISBN: 978-0-85729-999-4

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