Racial differences in survival among men with prostate cancer and comorbidity at time of diagnosis.

Objectives: This study evaluated the effect of comorbidity at diagnosis on racial differences in survival among men with prostate cancer.

Methods: Clinical and demographic data were abstracted from records of 864 patients diagnosed at 4 Chicago area hospitals between 1986 and 1990. Comorbidity was scored on the basis of clinical information in the Charlson index.

Determinants of mortality following a diagnosis of prostate cancer in Veterans Affairs and private sector health care systems.

Objectives: We compared patterns of mortality among men with prostate cancer at 2 Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and 2 private-sector hospitals in the Chicago area.

Methods: Mortality rates for 864 cases diagnosed between 1986 and 1990 were estimated using Cox proportional hazards models that incorporated age; income; cancer stage, differentiation, and treatments; and baseline comorbidity.

Results: Race tended to associate with all-cause mortality irrespective of health care setting (Blacks vs Whites: hazard rate ratio [HRR] = 1.