Men with prostate cancer dying of other causes, study finds

Of 16,732 patients with metastatic prostate cancer who died after being diagnosed between 2000 and 2016, nearly 17 percent died from other causes, according to a study published Aug. 5 in JAMA Network Open.

Researchers identified 26,168 metastatic prostate cancer patients from a national database who were diagnosed between 2000 and 2016. Of those, 16,732 died during follow-up. 

While the majority of deaths (77.8 percent) were from prostate cancer, 16.7 percent were from non-cancer causes such as cardiovascular diseases, chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases and cerebrovascular diseases, findings showed. About 6 percent of deaths were attributed to other cancers. 

Overall, non-prostate cancer-related causes of death accounted for a greater percentage of deaths among patients ages 50 and older compared to younger patients. 

"These findings suggest that therapy and follow-up should be tailored to the needs of each patient with metastatic [prostate cancer] and that counseling should be provided regarding future health risks," researchers said. 

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