International overview on the treatment of prostate cancer--Scandinavian experience.

The Scandinavian countries, especially Sweden and Norway, have a high incidence of prostate cancer. The tumor classification has been mainly uniform in recent years, according to the TNM system. Transrectal fine-needle biopsy and cytologic malignancy grading were introduced in Sweden and were gradually accepted in other countries. The treatment of prostate cancer has been mainly conservative as it is in most parts of Europe. For a long period endocrine therapy was given in the vast majority of cases. In recent years radiotherapy has also been used in cancer of low differentiation with no evidence of dissemination. In poorly differentiated and disseminated disease, Estracyt is the standard therapy. Estracyt is also given in disseminated carcinoma nonresponsive to ordinary hormone therapy. In this category of patients other chemotherapy is the second therapeutic alternative. Various techniques of endocrine therapy, chemotherapy, and radical surgery are subject to controlled trials.