[Certified prostate cancer centers of the German Cancer Society : Current status 2 years after certification and...

The 12-month data for 21 of the 44 certified centers were analyzed 2 years after certification of the first prostate cancer centers of the German Cancer Society. Currently about 25% of patients with prostate cancer are being treated in the centers certified by the German Cancer Society. On the one hand, a positive development toward interdisciplinary management can be observed with verifiably good surgical quality in most of the centers and good outpatient care provided by social services, and in some instances psycho-oncological support. On the other hand, there are substantial problems with data documentation. The quality of documentation declines considerably when the patient leaves the hospital. Concerted efforts must be made to improve documentation of patient data and transfer of aftercare information. The association with hospital cancer registries must be enhanced. The quality of both inpatient care and intersectoral care can only be improved on a long-term basis when the insurance providers support this development. Only when there is evidence for improved treatment quality can the long-term development of centers be justified, but until this is corroborated the establishment of centers cannot remain without financing.