Prostate cancer 2004: insights from national disease registries

In 2004, the large majority of prostate cancers are detected via prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening. Most are diagnosed at an early stage and are amenable to aggressive local treatment. However, the natural history of the disease may be prolonged, and all available active treatments exert a potential negative effect on patients' HRQOL. Management options for localized prostate cancer have become increasingly complex in recent years, and rigorous trials are frequently difficult to perform due to the extended follow-up required to reach meaningful outcomes. In this context, the advent of the national prostate cancer disease registries-Prostate Cancer Outcomes Study (PCOS), Center for Prostate Disease Research (CPDR), Cancer of the Prostate Strategic Urologic Research Endeavor (CaPSURE), and Shared Equal Access Regional Cancer Hospital (SEARCH)-has greatly facilitated clinical research in prostate cancer. This review summarizes key findings from the registries in the areas of risk migration, practice patterns, outcome prediction, and quality-of-life outcomes. The availability of these large databases of patients will be a tremendous asset as prostate cancer management continues to evolve in the coming years.