Parry MG, Boyle JM, Nossiter J, et al. - This study’s findings demonstrate that radical local treatment of high-risk localized or locally advanced prostate cancer depended strongly on age and comorbidity, but also on socioeconomic deprivation and ethnicity, with the between-hospital variation being highest in older patients.

• Researchers recruited a total of 53,888 men, from 128 hospitals and 35,034 (65.0%) received radical local treatment.

• The results showed that the likelihood of receiving radical local treatment was elevated in men who were younger (the strongest predictor), more affluent, those with fewer comorbidities, and in those with a non-Black ethnic background.

• Compared with patients aged 75–79 years, 70–74 years, and <70 years, there was more between-hospital variation for patients aged ≥80 years (ICC: 0.235).

• The between-hospital variation was not influenced by comorbidity and socioeconomic deprivation.