To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of cases of early prostate cancer were treated in each of the last five years with (a) surgery, (b) radiotherapy, (c) hormone therapy and (d) other treatments. (184260)

I have been asked to reply.

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.

Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 19 February 2008:

As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking what percentage of cases of early prostate cancer have been treated in each of the last five years with (a) surgery, (b) radiotherapy, (c) hormone therapy and (d) other treatments. (184260)

The statistics relate to all cases of prostate cancer since the recording of “stage” in the cancer register cannot provide nationally comparable data on early prostate cancer.

The latest year for which data are available is 2005. The table below shows, for 2001-2005, the percentage of newly diagnosed cases of prostate cancer receiving specific treatments. In 45 per cent. of prostate cancer cases in the national cancer registry database, either no treatment information was recorded or patients were recorded as having had no treatment.