A recently published study found that men with prostate cancer and comorbidities (illnesses or diseases unrelated to their cancer) are far likelier to die from one of those comorbidities than the cancer.
The Total Illness Burden Index for Prostate Cancer (TIBI-CaP) is an 84-item questionnaire that is filled out by the patient during an office visit. For this study, investigators sent the TIBI-CaP to over 4,600 men who participate in the Cancer of the Prostate Strategic Urologic Research Endeavor (CaPSURE), a national prostate cancer registry.
They then evaluated the answers from the 2,900 men who filled out the questionnaire, and followed them for a median of 6.2 years.
What they found was that men who scored highest on the TIBI-CaP were 10 times more likely to die from something other than prostate cancer within six years of taking the survey compared to men who scored the lowest.
What this suggests is that men with prostate cancer as well as significant comorbidity (to be determined by their doctor) should give strong consideration as to whether to pursue aggressive treatment for their cancer—which has been more common than not several years—or more conservative, less invasive treatment, since aggressive treatment can result in seriously life-altering consequences, such as sexual dysfunction.
CANCER TYPE(S)
Prostate cancer
TREATMENT TYPE(S)
NA
WHERE WAS THIS RESEARCH PUBLISHED?
The journal Archives of Internal Medicine
By Ross Bonander
Citation
Daskivich T, et al "Severity of comorbidity and non-prostate cancer mortality in men with early-stage prostate cancer" Arch Intern Med 2010; 170: 1396-97
The information provided on CancerTreatment.net is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between a patient/site visitor and his/her health professional. This information is solely for informational purposes and does not constitute the practice of medicine. We encourage all visitors to see a licensed physician or nutritionist if they have any concerns regarding health issues related to diet, personal image and any other topics discussed on this site. Neither the owners or employees of CancerTreatment.net nor the author(s) of site content take responsibility for any possible consequences from any treatment, procedure, exercise, dietary modification, action or application of medication which results from reading this site. Always speak with your primary health care provider before engaging in any form of self treatment. Please see our Legal Statement for further information.
