Overall Survival and Cancer-Specific Mortality in Patients with Prostate Cancer Undergoing Definitive Therapies: A Narrative Review

Abstract

The overall survival (OS) of patients with prostate cancer (PCa) who receive locally definitive therapy is generally better than that of patients who do not receive definitive therapy. There is no difference in the incidence of local recurrence or distant metastasis between treatment modalities. Because the prognosis of PCa is relatively good, many studies have focused on quality of life after treatment as an endpoint. However, a limited number of patients develop biochemical recurrence after definitive treatment for PCa and subsequently develop distant metastasis or die from PCa. Therefore, we believe that preventing local recurrence and distant metastasis and prolonging the OS should be emphasized when selecting a treatment modality for PCa. In this review, the significance and usefulness of radical prostatectomy and radiation therapy as the main modalities of definitive therapies for local PCa and locally advanced PCa were evaluated, as well as the outcomes of OS and PCa-specific mortality and the treatment options after biochemical recurrence to improve the oncological outcomes.