Researchers from Uppsala University in Sweden have discovered that patients with non-metastatic prostate cancer often die from causes unrelated to the disease itself.
اضافة اعلان
According to the Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, the scientists analyzed data from 62,839 patients in the Swedish National Prostate Cancer Register, diagnosed between 2000 and 2020. The study focused only on men with an expected life expectancy of more than three years, taking into account their age and any chronic conditions.
The researchers grouped the patients based on the risk level of disease progression and monitored them over time. They found that in the low- and intermediate-risk groups, patients were six times more likely to die from other causes than from prostate cancer. In the high-risk group, the risk of non-cancer-related death was still twice as high.
According to Dr. Pietro Silecchia, following medical guidance allows most men to live for many years after being diagnosed. This includes those eligible for the active surveillance program — a strategy in which immediate treatment is deferred in favor of regular monitoring, with therapy initiated only if the disease shows signs of progression.
Dr. Ahmed Shabsigh, an oncologist at the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, added that even in high-risk cases, men often die from other health issues rather than from the cancer itself. He emphasized that in low-risk cases, the mortality rate due to the disease does not exceed 11% over 30 years.
