Of 16,732 patients with metastatic prostate cancer who died after being diagnosed between 2000 and 2016, nearly 17 percent died from other causes, according to a study published Aug. 5 in JAMA Network Open.
Researchers identified 26,168 metastatic prostate cancer patients from a national database who were diagnosed between 2000 and 2016. Of those, 16,732 died during follow-up.
While the majority of deaths (77.8 percent) were from prostate cancer, 16.7 percent were from non-cancer causes such as cardiovascular diseases, chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases and cerebrovascular diseases, findings showed. About 6 percent of deaths were attributed to other cancers.
Overall, non-prostate cancer-related causes of death accounted for a greater percentage of deaths among patients ages 50 and older compared to younger patients.
"These findings suggest that therapy and follow-up should be tailored to the needs of each patient with metastatic [prostate cancer] and that counseling should be provided regarding future health risks," researchers said.