Changing trends in symptomatology, diagnostics, stage and survival of prostate cancer in Northern Finland during a period of 20 years.

Background: Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men in many countries. The aim of the present study was to find out how the symptoms leading to a diagnosis, diagnostic procedures and stages of the disease among prostate cancer patients have changed over a period of 20 years.

Methods: This retrospective chart review consisted of 421 prostate cancer patients whose treatment was started in the years 1982, 1987, 1992, 1997 and 2002 at the Oulu University Hospital.

Five-year outcome of laparoscopic and Lichtenstein hernioplasties.

Background: Laparoscopic hernia repair has been proved superior to open repairs in terms of short-term results, but long-term results of laparoscopic and open mesh repairs have been lacking until recently.

Methods: A total of 123 patients were randomly allocated to two treatment groups comparing laparoscopic and Lichtenstein hernioplasties in three separate trials. The first and second trials compared small and large mesh used in transabdominal preperitoneal repairs, and the third study compared totally extraperitoneal hernioplasty with the Lichtenstein operation.