Purpose: We investigated the long-term outcome of prostate cancer.
Materials and methods: Causes of death were examined in 490 patients diagnosed with prostate cancer in Göteborg between 1960 and 1979 who survived for longer than 10 years.
Results: Of the patients 75 were alive and 415 died, including 62% as a direct or indirect consequence of prostate cancer.
Conclusions: Early prostate cancer is a slow growing but progressive malignant disease that will, if the patient survives long enough, kill the host.