Inequalities in prostate cancer treatment

The Prostate Cancer Charity says there is an urgent need for research to find out why men from lower socio-economic groups are less likely than men from more affluent groups to receive radical surgery or radiotherapy for prostate cancer.

A recent study from Cambridge showed that, over the nine years to 2006, the frequency of radiotherapy among men with prostate cancer was 28.5 per cent in the least deprived group compared with 21.0 per cent in the most deprived group (Br Med J 2010;340:c1928). The corresponding figures for surgery were 8.4 and 4.0 per cent. Each increment in deprivation group was associated with almost 10 per cent lower odds of having one of these interventions.

Noting that the reasons for this discrepancy and its impact on survival remain unclear, the Prostate Cancer Charity says that management should have improved since the study ended in 2006. In particular, all patients should now be given information about their diagnosis and its treatment to help them make an informed choice.