Radical prostatectomy for carcinoma in men more than 69 years old

Between 1974 and 1986, 193 men with prostatic cancer were treated with bilateral pelvic lymphadenectomy and radical retropubic prostatectomy. Of the 193 patients 65 were 70 years or older (5 were 78 years old). Of the 32 men in this series who underwent a potency-sparing modification of the radical prostatectomy 7 were 70 years or older, the oldest being 77 years. A comparison of the morbidity and mortality of the 65 men in the older group with the 128 men in the group less than 70 years old revealed no significant difference. Long-term followup data demonstrated 57 men in the older age group to be well with no evidence of disease, with 10 in that group well with no evidence of disease greater than 5 years after the radical prostatectomy. We recommend radical prostatectomy for patients with clinically localized prostatic carcinoma whose general health suggests a 10-year or greater probable life expectancy, aside from tumor.