The median non-prostate cancer survival is more than 10 years for men up to age 80 years who are selected and receive curative radiation treatment for prostate cancer

Abstract Treatment guidelines recommend that curative radiation treatment of prostate cancer be offered only to men whose life expectancy is greater than 10 years. The average life expectancy of North American males is less than 10 years after age 75, yet many men older than 75 years receive curative radiation treatment for prostate cancer. This study used the provincial cancer registry in British Columbia, Canada, to determine median non-prostate cancer survival for men who were aged 75 to 82 years at start of radiation treatment. Median survival was found to be greater than 10 years in men aged up to 80 years at the start of their radiation treatment. This finding suggests that radiation oncologists are able to appropriately select elderly men with greater than average life expectancy to receive curative radiation treatment.