Objectives: Although radical prostatectomy (RP) is associated with greater 30-day mortality in older men, the magnitude of the excess risk in older age groups compared with younger ones has not been well characterized.
Methods: Using data from the Ontario Cancer Registry, we identified 11,010 men who underwent RP from 1990 to 1999 in Ontario, Canada and compared the 30-day mortality risk immediately after RP with the 1-month mortality risk in the same population of men 7 to 12 months after RP and that of an age-matched general population of men.
Results: Overall, 53 men (0.48%) died within 30 days of surgery. The absolute excess 30-day mortality risk associated with RP was 0.18%, 0.51%, and 0.59% for men aged 50 to 59, 60 to 69, and 70 to 79 years, respectively, and was similar for men aged 60 to 69 and 70 to 79 years (P >0.05). The relative mortality risk within 30 days of RP was approximately nine times the baseline risk (95% confidence interval 3 to 38) and was similar for men in all three age groups (P >0.05).
Conclusions: The results of our study indicate that men aged 70 to 79 years do not have a greater absolute excess or relative risk of 30-day mortality after RP compared with men aged 60 to 69 years.