Patterns of prostate cancer treatment by clinical stage and age

OBJECTIVES: This study analyzed prostate cancer treatment rates by age and clinical stage and contrasted these with rates by most accurate stage. METHODS: We determined surgery and radiation rates by most accurate and clinical stage by using 1996 Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results data. RESULTS: Treatment rates by clinical stage vs best stage differ significantly. For example, surgery rates for stages B, C, and D are 37%, 78%, and 13% by most accurate stage but 33%, 6%, and 1% by clinical stage. Treatment patterns by clinical stage vary substantially by age. CONCLUSIONS: Treatment patterns should be described by clinical stage rather than most accurate stage, and they vary by age.