Purpose: The American Urological Association Prostate Cancer Clinical Guidelines Panel reviewed 12,501 publications on prostate cancer from 1955 to 1992 to determine whether the complication rates of external beam radiation therapy, interstitial radiotherapy and radical prostatectomy have decreased.
Materials and methods: Complications reported in at least 6 series, study duration and sample sizes were extracted. Year specific study weighted mean patient ages and complication rates were computed. Regression analysis was performed of the study year on weighted mean patient age and complication rate.
Results: Study year had a significant effect on mean patient age and rate of the majority of complications examined. Data indicated a gradual increase in study patient age and a simultaneous decrease in complications from 1960 to 1990.
Conclusions: Complication rates in the treatment of localized prostate cancer have decreased during the last 20 to 40 years. This decrease occurred despite evidence that the average age of treated patients had increased during the same period.