Safety of prostate operation in older men considered

Reported by Susan Aldridge, PhD, medical journalist

Men over 70 need not fear the complications of prostatectomy, say researchers.
Prostate cancer is common among American men and one treatment is removal of the prostate gland, or prostatectomy. But it is not often done on men over the age of 70 and it has not been too clear as to whether this is for fear of complications.

A team in Toronto has looked at mortality and complications in a group of over 11,000 men who had prostatectomy. They found that overall, 0.5 per cent of the group died and one fifth experienced some complications within 30 days of their surgery. Age was linked with an increased risk of mortality but the risk among those aged 70 to 79 was still low. And the presence of other problems, like heart disease, was a stronger indication of mortality than age. Therefore, prostatectomy is reasonably safe for men up to at least age 79 years, the researchers conclude.

Source
Journal of the National Cancer Institute 19th October 2005 Volume 97 pages 1525-1532

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