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Impact of brachytherapy on regional, racial, marital status, and age‐related patterns of definitive treatment for clinically localized prostate carcinoma
Author(s) -
Copeland Laurel A.,
Elshaikh Mohamed A.,
Jackson James,
Penner Louis A.,
Underwood Willie
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
cancer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.052
H-Index - 304
eISSN - 1097-0142
pISSN - 0008-543X
DOI - 10.1002/cncr.21341
Subject(s) - medicine , brachytherapy , prostate cancer , prostatectomy , prostate , urology , radiation therapy , external beam radiotherapy , hormone therapy , oncology , gynecology , cancer , breast cancer
BACKGROUND The impact of the increased use of permanent prostate brachytherapy compared with other treatment modalities (such as radical prostatectomy and external‐beam radiation therapy [EBRT]) for the treatment of clinically localized prostate carcinoma, and the previously reported regional, racial, and age‐related variations in prostate carcinoma treatment, have not been well characterized to date. Therefore, the authors evaluated the impact of permanent prostate brachytherapy on the relative rates of the use of specific prostate carcinoma treatment modalities over time. METHODS Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) cancer registry data from 1995 to 2000 were analyzed in a longitudinal, observational study utilizing bivariate and multivariate techniques. RESULTS Differential changes in the use of specific definitive treatment modalities were noted by region, age group, racial/ethnic group, and marital status. Increasing use of permanent prostate brachytherapy, with and without concomitant EBRT, was proportional to the decreasing use of radical prostatectomy alone and EBRT alone over time. CONCLUSIONS The current study revealed that permanent prostate brachytherapy appears to be replacing other treatment modalities in increasing numbers of clinically localized prostate carcinoma cases. Persistent regional, racial/ethnic, marital status, and age‐related differences in the use of permanent prostate brachytherapy merit further investigation. Cancer 2005. © 2005 American Cancer Society.