Assessment of Primary Androgen Deprivation Therapy for Non-metastatic Prostate Cancer Among Elderly Men

Inclusion Criteria

Inclusion criteria:

- Diagnosed at age 75 or older.

- Diagnosed with non-metastatic prostate cancer in 1992-1999.

- Enrolled in Medicare for the 12 months before diagnosis for an adequate assessment of
baseline comorbidity.

- Enrolled in Medicare Part A and Part B through death or the end of the study period
to have an adequate claim history of cancer treatment over the follow-up period.

- Alive for at least 6 months after cancer diagnosis. This criterion will remove men
who are diagnosed at death or who are dying and have severe comorbidities, and are
therefore poor candidates for 'aggressive' cancer interventions.

Exclusion criteria:

- Enrolled in Medicare managed care plans during the study period since no Medicare
claims are available during the period of enrollment.

- Have other types of cancer. This criterion will ensure that all cancer therapies
identified from the Medicare claims are for prostate cancer exclusively.