Population-based study on use of chemotherapy in men with castration resistant prostate cancer.

"Declaration of interest: The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper. Anders Widmark is working part time as medical advisor for Sanofi Oncology, Sweden and has received travel and lecture honorarium from Astellas. Ingela Franck Lissbrant, Hans Garmo and Pär Stattin have no conflicts of interest to declare. Declaration of interest:"

"This project was made possible by the continuous work of the National Prostate Cancer Register of Sweden (NPCR Swe) steering group: Pär Stattin (chairman), Anders Widmark, Camilla Thellenberg, Ove Andrén, Anna Bill-Axelson, Ann-Sofi Fransson, Magnus Törnblom, Stefan Karlsson, Marie Hjälm- Eriksson, Bodil Westman, Bill Petersson, David Robinsson, Mats Andén, Jan-Erik Damber, Jonas Hugosson, Ingela Franck Lissbrant, Maria Nyberg, Göran Ahlgren, Ola Bratt, René Blom, Rolf Lundgren, Lars Egevad, Calle Waller, Jan-Erik Johansson, Olof Akre, Per Fransson, Eva Johansson, Fredrik Sandin, Hans Garmo, Mats Lambe, Karin Hellström, Erik Holmberg and Annette Wigertz. This study was supported by funding from Swedish Research Council 825-2010-5950."

"During the observation period (21 May 2008 – 31 December 2010), the Sjukhusapotekens läkemedelstillverkning (SALT)/Hospital pharmaceutical manufacturing database contained individual information on type of chemotherapy, dose and date of production on all chemotherapy prepared in 27 of 30 Swedish hospital pharmacies. Three hospitals in the southern region could not be included in our analyses since their chemotherapy prescriptions were not registered in this database. Information on chemotherapy prepared locally in out-patient clinics was not registered in the SALT database and hence not included in the study. After three years the personal identity number is erased from the SALT database and thereafter data on an individual level cannot be analyzed."