Clinical and Quality-of-life Outcomes in Older Men Diagnosed with Prostate Cancer

Objectives:

Describe clinical and socio-demographic characteristics, quality of life, and treatment decisions of men 75 years and older diagnosed with prostate cancer; correlate comorbidity, baseline disease-specific and general health-related quality of life and treatment selection with long-term survival and quality of life.

Rationale:

Decisions for screening and aggressively treating prostate cancer in elderly men are controversial given the uncertain benefits and likely harms. The effect of screening and aggressive treatment on survival and health-related quality of life in elderly men is not well characterized. Data: Baseline data on socio-demographics, comorbidity, disease- specific and general HRQOL, tumor characteristics, and treatments. Follow-up data on survival, cancer recurrence/progression, disease- specific and general HRQOL.

Methods:

Compare baseline characteristics of men undergoing aggressive (radical prostatectomy/radiation) vs. conservative (androgen deprivation/watchful waiting) management. Model disease-free and overall survival and changes in HRQOL to compare differences between treatment groups. Propensity score analyses will be used to adjust for potential selection bias; multivariate analyses will further adjust for baseline differences between the treatment groups.

Collaborators:

Michael Barry, MD; Mary McNaughton Collins, MD

Contact Information:

Richard Hoffman, MD, MPH
New Mexico VA Health Care System
111GIM
1501 San Pedro Drive SE
Albuquerque, NM 87108

Phone: 505-256-2727
Fax: 505-256-2888
E-mail: rhoffman@unm.edu