DECLINE IN PROSTATE CANCER MORTALITY FROM 1980 TO 1997, AND AN UPDATE ON INCIDENCE TRENDS IN OLMSTED COUNTY, MINNESOTA

Demographic and Past Screening Behaviors of Men Attending a Free Community Screening Program for Prostate Cancer

This study characterizes demographic and past prostate screening behaviors of men who participated in a free screening for prostate cancer. Demographics, past prostate screening behavior, perceived risk, and cancer worry were assessed in 1,680 men. Mean age was 58.2 years, 56% were White, and 76% had health insurance. Men with insurance were more likely to have had a previous prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test and digital rectal exam (DRE). White men were more likely to have had a previous PSA and DRE and to have discussed PSA testing with a physician than African American men. African American men reported greater perceived risk and more worry than White men. Screening differences between African American and White men were explained by insurance status. These results may help guide the development of and promotion for future screening programs. Future efforts should be directed at increasing awareness about screening procedures for prostate cancer.

High-density lipoprotein and prostate cancer: an overview

Prostate cancer is a common disease in modern, developed societies and has a high incidence and mortality. High-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) has recently received much attention as a possible risk marker of prostate cancer development and prognosis. In the present article, we summarized findings from epidemiologic studies of the association between HDL-C and prostate cancer. Low HDL-C level was found to be a risk and prognostic factor of prostate cancer in several epidemiologic studies, although the overall linkage between HDL and prostate cancer has not been definitively established. The mechanisms for this association remain uncertain; however, limited data from experimental studies imply a possible role of HDL in the pathophysiology of prostate cancer. More epidemiologic research, in combination with experimental studies, is needed in this field.

Generalizability of epidemiological findings and public health decisions: an illustration from the Rochester Epidemiology Project

OBJECTIVE

To illustrate the problem of generalizability of epidemiological findings derived from a single population using data from the Rochester Epidemiology Project and from the US Census.

METHODS

We compared the characteristics of the Olmsted County, Minnesota, population with the characteristics of populations residing in the state of Minnesota, the Upper Midwest, and the entire United States.

RESULTS

Age, sex, and ethnic characteristics of Olmsted County were similar to those of the state of Minnesota and the Upper Midwest from 1970 to 2000. However, Olmsted County was less ethnically diverse than the entire US population (90.3% vs 75.1% white), more highly educated (91.1% vs 80.4% high school graduates), and wealthier ($51,316 vs $41,994 median household income; 2000 US Census data). Age- and sex-specific mortality rates were similar for Olmsted County, the state of Minnesota, and the entire United States.

CONCLUSION

We provide an example of analyses and comparisons that may guide the generalization of epidemiological findings from a single population to other populations or to the entire United States.

Prostate cancer--to screen, or not to screen, is that the question?

There continues to be controversy regarding serum Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) and prostate cancer screening. We anxiously await the results of two large prospective randomized clinical trials (Prostate, Lung, Colon, and Ovary-PCLO screening trial in the US and European Randomized Study of Screening for Prostate Cancer-ERSPC in Europe) assessing the benefits of prostate cancer screening. However the true question to answer may be which cancer to treat and when should we treat it.

Knowledge and attitudes of primary care physicians regarding prostate cancer screening

INTRODUCTION

We report the results of a questionnaire administered to primary care physicians to determine their baseline knowledge of prostate cancer and their attitudes on prostate cancer screening.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A 27-item questionnaire designed to assess prostate cancer knowledge and screening attitudes was administered to primary care physicians in Duval and Alachua counties. Completed surveys were returned, entered into the master database and analyzed.

RESULTS

Mean initial knowledge score was 66%. In multivariate regression analysis, there were no covariates independently associated with knowledge scores. In multivariate regression analysis, there were no covariates independently associated with attitude scores. Lastly, knowledge scores were not associated with attitude scores (p=0.85).

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings imply that physicians' knowledge is not an important predictor of their screening behavior. Thus, this study raises the possibility that factors other than educational programs must be assessed as a means to increase screening in specific communities.

Prediction of pathological stages before prostatectomy in prostate cancer patients: analysis of 12 systematic prostate needle biopsy specimens

OBJECTIVE

To identify the most reliable predictor of the pathological stage among multiple parameters obtained by performing systematic biopsies and to assess the predictive value of any identified parameters in combination with the prostate specific antigen and the Gleason scores.

METHODS

We examined 5 biopsy parameters from 12 systematic needle biopsy results in 104 consecutive prostate cancer patients who underwent prostatectomy: the number of cores positive for cancer, percentage of positive biopsy cores, total linear cancer length (absolute sum of tumor length at each core), percentage cancer length (total cancer length divided by total length of cores obtained x100), and maximum cancer core length. The predictive values of these parameters were assessed using multivariate logistic analysis and receiver operating characteristic analysis. We evaluated whether the most reliable biopsy parameter in combination with traditional variables show better predictability of the pathological stage than traditional variables alone by receiver operating characteristic analysis.

RESULTS

Of 104 patients, 85 (82.9%) had organ confined cancer and 19 (17.1%) showed extraprostatic extension. Of the five parameters examined, maximum cancer length was found to best predict pathological staging. Although insignificant, adding results of maximum cancer length to prostate specific antigen and Gleason scores improved predictability. Of 41 patients with a maximum cancer length of <0.9 cm, PSA of <16 ng/mL, and Gleason score of <7, none showed extraprostatic extension.

CONCLUSIONS

The maximum cancer length was found to be the most reliable predictor of disease staging. The findings of a maximum cancer length of <0.9 cm, PSA of <16 ng/mL, and a Gleason score of <7 can suggest an organ-confined disease.

Population-based case-control study of PSA and DRE screening on prostate cancer mortality

OBJECTIVES

The efficacy of screening for prostate cancer (PCa) with digital rectal examination (DRE) and prostate-specific antigen (PSA) measurement has not been proved in randomized clinical trials. In an earlier case-control study, we found that DRE might reduce PCa mortality. The present case-control study assessed the association between PSA and DRE testing and PCa mortality.

METHODS

The case subjects included 74 Olmsted County residents who had died from 1992 to 2005 with PCa as the underlying cause of death. From 1 to 3 community control subjects (alive at time of case subject's death) were matched to each case subject. The medical records were reviewed to identify DREs and PSA determinations performed 0 to 5 years before the date the case was diagnosed (index date). Tests performed in the absence of symptoms were considered to be "screening tests." Conditional logistic regression analysis was used to estimate the odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals for the association of screening (defined in multiple ways) and PCa mortality.

RESULTS

From 1 to 5 years before the index date, control subjects were more likely than case subjects to have undergone a previous screening PSA test or DRE (81.3% versus 60.8%, P = 0.0005). The unadjusted odds ratio associated with a previous screening PSA test or DRE was 0.34 (95% confidence interval 0.18 to 0.63), and the odds ratio adjusted for potential confounders was 0.35 (95% confidence interval 0.17 to 0.71). PSA testing was frequently done in conjunction with DRE, making evaluation of the individual effects difficult.

CONCLUSIONS

The results of this case-control study suggest a potential benefit of screening by PSA testing and/or DRE on PCa mortality.

Screening for prostate cancer: an update

OBJECTIVES

To review evidence regarding the potential introduction of prostate cancer screening programmes and highlight issues pertinent to the management of screen-detected prostate cancer.

METHODS

Screening for prostate cancer is a controversial health care issue in general and urological practice. A PubMed database search was performed, followed by a systematic review of the literature, to examine the evidence base underlying prostate cancer screening.

RESULTS

A prostate cancer screening programme should satisfy several key postulates prior to its introduction. To date, several of these postulates have not been satisfied, and the evidence available for prostate cancer screening is currently insufficient to warrant its introduction as a public health policy. The natural history of screen-detected prostate cancer remains poorly understood, and recent evidence suggests that a screening programme may detect a large number of men with indolent disease who may be subsequently overtreated. Several randomised clinical trials are currently in progress and it is hoped that they will provide robust evidence to inform future practice.

CONCLUSIONS

National systematic prostate cancer screening programmes outside randomised clinical trial settings have not been implemented to date owing to lack of robust evidence that such programmes would improve survival and/or quality of life in men with screen-detected disease. Forthcoming results of clinical trials and the application of appropriate risk stratification to prevent overtreatment of indolent prostate cancer are likely to change practice in coming years.

Prostate Cancer Screening

Prostate cancer incurs a substantial incidence and mortality burden, similarly to breast cancer, and it ranks among the top ten specific causes of death in the United States. It is inherent as we maximize the detection of early prostate cancer that we increase the detection of both nonaggressive (slow growing) and aggressive (faster growing) prostate cancers. The evidence clearly supports the use of PSA screening in conjunction with DRE as a means of early detection of prostate cancer. Widespread implementation of prostate cancer screening in the United States has led to the phenomenon of stage migration with more cancers being detected at a lower stage. Such a trend has decreased the incidence of metastatic disease at diagnosis and paralleled the decrease of the mortality rate from prostate cancer. Our understanding of the natural history of prostate cancer is progressing over time, but the question of its length is unanswerable. The relatively long doubling time (on average) of early prostate cancer of 3 to 4 years or more indicates a relatively good prognosis for many men with this disease, even without early detection and treatment. Unfortunately, the poor specificity of the PSA test in men with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) leads to high rates of prostate biopsy and attendant illnesses and costs. Early detection is more apt to detect a slow-growing prostate cancer than a faster growing cancer that is associated with a more rapid course of progression to metastatic disease. Hence, the launching of mass screening programs for the early detection of prostate cancer is premature. However, in the absence of solid evidence of benefit, one reasonable approach to screening at the individual level is to involve the patient in decisions about whether or not to perform a PSA test. Thus, "offering" PSA testing must be accompanied by informed discussion within the context of an ongoing patient-physician relationship. This is to be distinguished from the use of PSA testing for the purpose of "mass screening." Concepts that must be explored with the patient include: 1. The long-term ramifications of screening 2. The relatively high probability of further evaluation and biopsy with positive results 3. Potentially difficult decisions that may arise about using treatments that are associated with considerable morbidity and uncertain benefits (at the time) if cancer is discovered We should identify a future path that is evidence-based, focused on the issues that make a difference to patients, and results in better and longer lives of those with the disease and those who are at risk of getting it. If that path leads to treating fewer patients in the future, even if sometimes more aggressively, we should pursue it definitely and consequently.

MR Imaging and MR Spectroscopy in Prostate Cancer Management

Currently, endorectal coil MR imaging has the ability to improve accuracy in staging of localized prostate cancer. The addition of MR spectroscopic imaging has further improved the sensitivity of MR imaging for intraprostatic tumor localization. Additional refinements and techniques are expected to further improve the performance of MR imaging for prostate cancer imaging and to aid in patient management. Further studies are required to identify the ideal role for MR imaging in the diagnosis and management of prostate cancer.

[Screening for prostate cancer: arguments "in favour"]

Prostate cancer is a problem of public health; the relevance of its mass screening remains to be demonstrated by the conclusions of ongoing randomized prospective studies of which the preliminary results are promising. Yet, non-randomised and/or retrospective studies report a benefit of screening-related mortality. On such basis, French scientific authorities currently recommend individual screening.

Recent changes in the spatial pattern of prostate cancer in the U.S

INTRODUCTION

Spatial-temporal trends in prostate cancer mortality are of interest because of the introduction and increasing use of the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening test after 1986. This article describes spatial-temporal changes in U.S. prostate cancer mortality from 1968 to 1998.

METHODS

Prostate cancer mortality data were obtained from Compressed Mortality Files available from the National Center for Health Statistics. To minimize potential problems such as small numbers or missing data, the analysis was limited to white males aged 25 and over, and located in 2970 counties with complete data. Statistical analyses included the global distance between observed and expected multinomial probabilities, Hoover's Index of Concentration, and a retrospective test for change in spatial patterns.

RESULTS

Fairly steady declines were observed in prostate cancer mortality from 1968 until 1993, with an increasing tendency toward spatial uniformity. Spatial concentration increased from 1994 to 1998, and by 1998 the level of spatial concentration had returned to levels that prevailed during the early to mid-1980s. Comparing 1991-1998 to 1968-1990, the observed number of prostate deaths increased the most rapidly with respect to the expected number in western Appalachia and the south central U.S. Recent relative declines in mortality were observed in southern California and parts of Florida.

CONCLUSIONS

The observed results are generally consistent with prior evaluations of prostate cancer spatial-temporal patterns. However, the current study identified a heretofore unnoticed recent pattern of change in western Appalachia and the south central U.S. Recent declines in Florida and southern California may have contributed to recent increases in spatial concentration of prostate cancer mortality, and may possibly be associated with realized benefits from screening programs.

Prevention of Cancer in the Older Person

Cancer is the most common cause of death up to the age of 85 years and is also a major cause of disability. Screening asymptomatic patients for cancer is the most promising strategy to reduce cancer-related morbidity and mortality in the older population. Though the information related to older people is scanty, it is reasonable to recommend that the screening of older individuals be based on life expectancy, tolerance of screening, and tolerance of antineoplastic therapy. Some form of screening for breast cancer appears indicated for individuals with life expectancy of 5 and more years. If screening for prostate cancer is indicated at all, it should be limited to men with a life expectancy of at least 10 years. The value of screening asymptomatic individuals for lung and ovarian cancer is explored in ongoing clinical trials.

Adenocarcinoma of the prostate: epidemiological trends, screening, diagnosis, and surgical management of localized disease

Prostate cancer is a leading cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide. Despite years of study and effort, certain key questions remain unanswered, including how prostate cancer is best detected and diagnosed, how it is best treated, and how best to minimize the complications of treatment. The aim of this article is to briefly address these topics to shed light on the current best practices in prostate cancer screening, diagnosis, and surgical treatment of localized disease. We examine current trends in prostate cancer epidemiology and screening, including genetic and dietary risk factors and the newer prostate-specific antigen-derived screening modalities. Methods of diagnosis, including an overview of prostate biopsy technique and indications, and a brief review of relevant pathologic findings are provided. An in-depth analysis of traditional prostate cancer surgical management highlights the relevant advantages and disadvantages of radical retropubic and perineal prostatectomy. Complications of surgery, prognostic factors, and the many risk prediction models currently available are discussed. In all, this article aims to give the reader a broad overview of the basic elements of prostate cancer diagnosis and surgical treatment in the modem era.

Prostate cancer screening

Prostate cancer is the leading noncutaneous cancer in men of the Western world. Because of its prevalence and ability to cause morbidity and mortality,prostate cancer screening continues to be an important area of focus in health care. This article covers the sensitivity and specificity of prostate-specific antigen and current techniques used to improve the test's validity, the importance of detecting clinically important cancers with screening, as well as the downward stage migration, decreased disease-specific mortality, and decreased metastases rate seen inpatients screened and treated for prostate cancer.

Evidence-based medical perspectives: the evolving role of PSA for early detection, monitoring of treatment response, and as a surrogate end point of efficacy for interventions in men with different clinical risk states for the prevention and progression of prostate cancer

Following FDA approval and introduction into the clinic in the mid-1980s, PSA testing has become arguably the most versatile serum tumor marker in urologic oncology with clinical use for early detection (screening) of prostate cancer (PC), risk stratification for clinical staging, prognosis, intermediate biomarker for monitoring tumor recurrence, and more recently as an intermediate biomarker for assessing therapeutic response to antiandrogens, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy. PSA now routinely guides health care providers for the clinical management of PC over a wide range of clinical risk states for men at risk of PC, after local definitive therapy and after systemic therapy to prevent progression to metastatic bone disease, and to palliate men with hormone refractory prostate cancer (HRPC). To further assess the evidence that supports these clinical applications, this commentary reviews and critically evaluates the emerging body of new data focusing on several recently published seminal articles by D'Amico et al and Thompson et al, the new National Comprehensive Cancer Network 2004 recommendations for starting PSA testing at the age of 40 years old, the latest results from 2 phase 3 randomized, controlled trials of taxane-based regimens showing improved survival for men with HRPC, and the recent US FDA Public Workshop on Clinical Trial Endpoints in Prostate Cancer that helped to distill and synthesize the current state of the art and the progress toward validation of PSA metrics (eg, PSA velocity) as a surrogate end point (SE) for treatment efficacy with taxane-based regimens. Furthermore, several randomized, controlled chemoprevention trials in progress evaluating agents such as selenium and vitamin E in high-risk cohorts are well poised to confirm the validity of PSA as an SE for clinical efficacy for the prevention and progression of PC. Although there continues to be a need to validate better biomarkers before diagnosis of PC (more sensitive and specific) and after diagnosis to discern between indolent and aggressive forms of PC, it is very likely that some metric of PSA as a biomarker alone or as part of a panel of other serum proteomic markers or tissue-derived multiplex gene expression arrays will be around for years to come as a useful tool for risk stratification, early detection, prognosis, prediction, and as an SE of efficacy for prevention and treatment of PC.

[Prostate cancer: Diagnosis and staging]

The discovery and the use of serum prostate specific antigen (PSA) has considerably improved the diagnosis of prostate cancer during the past 20 years. Before PSA era, early diagnosis was only based on the digital rectal examination (DRE) of which the Limitations have been evidenced; over half of the tumours diagnosed by such means had already spread out of the prostate and were incurable. Assessment of serum PSA has allowed the diagnosis to be made at an earlier stage of the disease, curable by current treatments. Whichever the diagnostic tools, transrectal ultrasound (TRUS) prostatic biopsies remain necessary for diagnosis ascertainment, taking into account the low specificity of PSA assessment. The feasibility of a diagnosis at an early and curable stage of the disease has logically resulted in screening procedures aimed at reducing the high mortality related to prostate cancer. The numerous publications on prostate cancer screening provide precise information on the accuracy of available diagnostic means (PSA, DRE, TRUS, combined PSA and DRE), on the characteristics of screened tumours (stage and differentiation), and also on the population of men likely to benefit from the screening (age at beginning and end of the screening, frequency of PSA testing, identification of the men with ethnic and/or genetic predisposition). In those early diagnosed prostate cancers, the assessment of loco-regional cancer extension (extracapsular and/or, microscopic nodal involvement), remains unsatisfactory because no imaging technique (ultrasonography, CT scan, MRI,...) allows visualising the tumour itself or microscopic metastases. Nevertheless, the combination of multiple parameters such as DRE data, PSA level, biopsy data and tumour differentiation helps approaching with an increasing precision (nomograms) the true pathologic stage of the disease. Such advances allow distinguishing, among the very heterogeneous group of prostate cancers, tumours that differ from one to another in terms of disease stage, progression and prognosis, which is helpful for the determination of an adapted therapeutic strategy.

Screening for prostate cancer: current recommendations

Recent studies have questioned the efficacy of PSA as a marker for the early detection of prostate cancer, but techniques are being investigated to improve the sensitivity and specificity of screening. It is hoped that new methods can differentiate between lethal and nonlethal cancers, thereby avoiding lead-time bias. Even with the current limitations of PSA, the combination of stage migration seen with screening, the recent Scandinavian study showing decrease of disease progression following surgical extirpation, and the known mortality in patients presenting with advanced disease help support PSA screening for prostate cancer. It is hoped that prospective, randomized, long-term screening studies, such as the PLCO and ERSCP trials, will show improved survival using the admittedly imperfect PSA marker in prostate cancer screening.

Screening for Prostate Cancer

Prostate cancer is a highly prevalent disease in the Western world. In the United States alone, prostate cancer affects approximately 230,000 men and causes the death of 30,000 American men annually. Several theoretical health care measures may be implemented to decrease the morbidity and mortality of any disease. These measures include prevention, screening, improved curative treatment, and the transformation of an acute lethal disease to a chronic, tolerable one. This summary focuses on the screening aspects of prostate cancer.

Screening decreases prostate cancer mortality: 11-year follow-up of the 1988 Quebec prospective randomized controlled trial

PURPOSE

This clinical trial is aimed at evaluating the impact of prostate cancer screening on cancer-specific mortality.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

Forty-six thousand four hundred and eighty-six (46,486) men aged 45-80 years registered in the electoral roll of the Quebec city area were randomized in 1988 between screening and no screening. Screening included measurement of serum prostatic specific antigen (PSA) using 3.0 ng/ml as upper limit of normal and digital rectal examination (DRE) at first visit. At follow-up visits, serum PSA only was used.

RESULTS

Seventy-four (74) deaths from prostate cancer occurred in the 14,231 unscreened controls while 10 deaths were observed in the screened group of 7,348 men during the first 11 years following randomization. Median follow-up of screened men was 7.93 years. A Cox proportional hazards model of the age at death from prostate cancer shows a 62% reduction (P < 0.002, Fisher's exact test) of cause-specific mortality in the screened men (P = 0.005). These results are in agreement with the continuous decrease of prostate cancer mortality observed in North America.

Molecular diagnosis of prostate cancer

The diagnosis, staging, and management of prostate cancer as we know it today is greatly dependent on our ability to measure serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) concentration. Nevertheless, because serum PSA concentration, particularly when less than 10 ng/mL, reflects the presence of benign prostatic hyperplasia more often than cancer, there is a clear need for more specific prostate cancer markers. The most promising new markers for prostate cancer are the various molecular forms of free PSA. Mass spectrometry also is emerging as a potential tool in prostate cancer screening. Because it is unlikely that any one marker will have 100% sensitivity and specificity, as new serum markers are tested, nomograms that incorporate multiple independently predictive parameters for the detection of prostate cancer will become indispensable in our efforts to improve prostate cancer screening.

Prostatitis as a risk factor for prostate cancer

BACKGROUND

The association of infection or inflammation of the prostate with prostate cancer has been suggested but not established. This study was undertaken to investigate this association.

METHODS

Cases were Olmsted County, Minnesota, residents with histologically proven prostate cancer diagnosed between January 1980 and December 1996. Cases (n = 409) were each matched to 2 control subjects (n = 803) on age at diagnosis of prostate cancer, residency in Olmsted County, and duration of the community medical record. The medical record of each subject was reviewed for a history of acute or chronic bacterial prostatitis or chronic pelvic pain syndrome (inflammatory type).

RESULTS

The relative odds of prostate cancer were elevated in men with history of any type of prostatitis (odds ratio [OR] = 1.7; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.1-2.6) or acute prostatitis (2.5; 1.3-4.7). The mean time from most recent episode of acute prostatitis to the diagnosis of prostate cancer was 12.2 years. After exclusion of men with acute prostatitis 2 years before the index date, the relationship was somewhat reduced (1.9; 0.9-3.8). Chronic bacterial prostatitis was more weakly associated with prostate cancer (1.6; 0.8-3.1), whereas chronic pelvic pain syndrome was not associated at all (0.9; 0.4-1.8).

CONCLUSIONS

Infection in the form of acute or chronic bacterial prostatitis may be associated with prostate cancer. However, our data do not provide compelling evidence to support this. As a result of the limitations of current methods of assessing chronic prostatitis, biochemical or tissue markers of infection or inflammation of the prostate may help clarify their role in the pathogenesis of prostate cancer.

Prostate cancer mortality in Connecticut, Iowa and New Mexico African American men

We sought to assess trends in prostate cancer incidence, treatment and mortality in African American men by means of analysis of prostate cancer data from three states, Connecticut, Iowa and New Mexico, all participants in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program. Compared with levels before prostate specific antigen (PSA) testing, prostate cancer incidence increased in all three states after widespread testing. For men diagnosed with localized or regional prostate cancer, the respective increases in radical prostatectomy in Connecticut, Iowa, and New Mexico were 3.2, 2.3, and 4.9 times pre-test levels. Age-standardized mortality in Connecticut and Iowa increased slightly; in New Mexico the 104.7 deaths per 100,000 in 1979-1986, 62.1 in 1987-1990, dropped to 47.6 in 1991-1998, an amount of decline that was statistically significant. Introduction of PSA testing influenced early detection and treatment of prostate cancer in all three states. Although decline in prostate cancer mortality in New Mexico over time may be linked with use of the PSA test and definitive therapy, the relationship among these factors, and thus the proper treatment for the early stages of this condition, is unclear on the basis of these data.

Multivariate models to predict clinically important outcomes at prostatectomy for patients with organ-confined disease and needle biopsy Gleason scores of 6 or less

The objective of this study was to determine the clinical and biopsy features associated with outcomes at radical retropubic prostatectomy (RRP) in patients with clinically organ-confined prostate cancers and biopsy Gleason scores (GS) of 6 or less. We reviewed 274 biopsies with GS 6 or less cancers from patients with clinically organ-confined disease between 1995 and 1998 to determine statistically significant predictors for the following outcomes at RRP: tumor volume, small (<0.5 cc), confined (pT2) tumors with RRP GS of 6 or less (potentially "insignificant" tumors), and extraprostatic extension (EPE). Clinical and pathologic features evaluated included age, serum prostate specific antigen (PSA), clinical stage, percent biopsy cores and surface area positive for cancer (tumor extent), perineural invasion, MIB-I proliferation, and DNA ploidy by digital image analysis (DIA). Multivariate analyses showed that biopsy tumor extent (median percent surface area positive 3.3%; P < 0.001 and median biopsy cores positive 28.6%; P = 0.001) and PSA (median 5.5 ng/mL; P = 0.009) predicted tumor volume (median 1.4 cc). Biopsy tumor extent (P = 0.002), PSA (P = 0.002), and percent S-phase nuclei (P = 0.050) predicted potentially "insignificant" tumors at RRP (n = 76, 28%). Percent surface area positive for cancer (P = 0.003) predicted EPE (n = 22, 8%). DNA ploidy (n = 211, 79% diploid) and MIB-I proliferation (median 1.4%) did not add information to predict these RRP outcomes. Biopsy tumor extent and serum PSA were significantly associated with tumor volume. Biopsy tumor extent, serum PSA, and percent S-phase nuclei by DIA were predictive of potentially insignificant tumors. Patients with clinically confined disease, <5% biopsy surface area positive for cancer, <20% biopsy cores positive for cancer, and GS 6 or less, had a 48% chance of having a potentially insignificant tumor at diagnosis if the serum PSA was <10 ng/mL. Percent surface area predicted EPE at RRP. DNA ploidy and MIB-I proliferation by DIA did not provide additional information.

Population Screening for Prostate Cancer and Emerging Concepts for Young Men

Prostate cancer is the most common malignancy in American men, accounting for > 29% of all diagnosed cancers and approximately 13% of all cancer deaths. Nearly 1 of every 6 men will be diagnosed with the disease at some time in their lives. In 2003 alone, an estimated 221000 men in the United States will be diagnosed with prostate cancer and > 28000 will die of the disease. An elevated level of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is correlated with the presence of prostate cancer, and since 1989 we have been living in the "PSA era," in which the PSA screening test is widely used in clinical practice. This article summarizes what has been learned about the use of PSA screening, including the intricacies of free PSA, PSA doubling time, and various factors that may affect PSA and confound screening in young men. Although population-based screening for prostate cancer has yet to be definitively proven to affect disease-specific mortality, PSA testing is detecting cancers in younger men and at earlier stages of disease progression and, partly as a result, 5-year cancer-specific survival is increasing. Even though this lead-time effect may not translate into long-term improvement, these changes are very promising and are a necessary prerequisite to effective screening. For patients at high risk with a family history of the disease and for black men, a strategy consisting of an annual PSA blood test and digital rectal examination for men >or=40 years of age appears to be prudent. Use of age- and race-specific reference ranges for PSA based on sensitivity, or maximal cancer detection, is the most appropriate approach in this high-risk group. Specifically among black men 40-49 years of age, those with a PSA value > 2.0 ng/mL should consider further evaluation. Many men at low/average risk aged 40-49 years also request testing and it is reasonable to offer testing and risk assessment to these young men. The exact screening threshold for total PSA in these men is unknown, but 95% of these men will have a PSA < 2.5 ng/mL. Prostate-specific antigen velocity, percentage of free PSA, and perhaps complexed PSA may be used to help determine risk, but further study of young men is needed. In the future, a risk-stratified approach using molecular biomarkers and/or proteomics in young men is anticipated.

Screening for prostate cancer: have you had your cholesterol measured?

Screening for prostate cancer has become one of the most common topics of conversation at urological oncology meetings. Most people have a bias as to whether there should or should not be a national screening programme. Unfortunately there are many unanswered questions, which may or may not be possible to answer definitively. In a balanced and scholarly review of the subject, Professor Peter Boyle indicates several flaws in the agreement for screening, but feels that PSA testing will continue unabated. The authors from the University of Stellenbosch review the plentiful literature relating to testicular torsion and functional recovery. They also review the mechanism of injury and the effect on the contralateral testis.

Screening for prostate cancer

This article provides a review of present evidence that suggests that screening achieves a reduction in prostate cancer mortality. Aspects of quality of life and cost effectiveness are reviewed, as well as present test performance. The questions addressed in this article include the following: Is screening in its present form acceptable as a public health instrument? What changes are needed to improve the screening procedure? What are the research priorities in this field, assuming that the present evidence of prostate cancer mortality reduction is eventually confirmed by ongoing randomized controlled trials?

Screening for renal cell carcinoma using ultrasonography: a feasibility study

OBJECTIVE

To assess the practicability and efficacy of systematic screening for renal cell carcinoma (RCC) by ultrasonography (US), as more small RCCs are being detected incidentally by US.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

A 2-year screening programme for RCC was established for the general population (aged >or= 40 years) in two German cities, Mainz and Wuppertal. In cooperation with different health insurers, the organisers recruited general practitioners, internists and urologists in private practice who were experienced in and equipped to conduct renal US. The screening was offered in the form of cost-free renal US in the first year and a re-examination in the second. For any equivocal or positive renal mass, a reference ultrasonogram was provided by the urology departments at the two university hospitals.

RESULTS

In all, 9959 volunteers participated in the screening programme (49% men, 51% women, mean age 61 years, range 40-94) in the first year. Of these participants, 79% returned for re-examination in the second year. Thirteen (0.1%) subjects were found to have a renal mass, of which nine were RCC. The sensitivity of the programme was 82% (at the 1-year follow-up), and the predictive value 2% for equivocal findings on initial examination and 50% for positive findings. The incidence of other abnormal findings was 12%.

CONCLUSION

The screening programme was well accepted by physicians in private practice and by the eligible population. The method was effective, especially if equivocal findings were re-assessed by reference US before using further imaging studies, e.g. computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging.

Detection of clinically significant, occult prostate cancer metastases in lymph nodes using a splice variant-specific rt-PCR assay for human glandular kallikrein

PURPOSE

To compare the detection of human glandular kallikrein 2 (hK2) mRNA expression in archival lymph nodes with disease progression, the development of prostate cancer metastases, and mortality in patients undergoing radical prostatectomy for locally advanced nonmetastatic prostate cancer.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

We evaluated total RNA extracted from fixed, paraffin-embedded, histopathologically normal pelvic lymph nodes, removed at radical prostatectomy, from 199 pT3N0 prostate cancer patients (150 extraprostatic extension only; 49 seminal vesicle involvement) for hK2-expressing cells using a novel reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR)/hK2 assay. Cumulative incidence functions and Cox proportional hazards analyses were performed.

RESULTS

Forty patients (20%) had positive results, 80 patients (40%) had negative results, and 79 patients (40%) had equivocal results. RT-PCR/hK2 status was not associated with any pathologic characteristics (P >.05). In postoperative multivariable models, the RT-PCR/hK2 result was associated with prostate cancer progression (P =.001), development of distant metastases (P =.001), and prostate cancer-specific survival (P =.005). In patients experiencing biochemical progression (n = 33), RT-PCR/hK2 status was a predictor of failure to respond to salvage radiotherapy (P =.002).

CONCLUSION

RT-PCR/hK2 can detect biologically and clinically significant occult prostate cancer metastases in histopathologically normal lymph nodes. In patients with locally advanced prostate cancer, RT-PCR/hK2 is strongly associated with prostate cancer progression, failure following salvage radiation therapy, development of clinically evident metastases, and prostate cancer-specific mortality after surgery.

Preventive health care for older patients

This chapter addresses key components of screening and preventive care for the older population. The older population is heterogeneous, ranging from the competent, active, well individual to the frail, demented individual. Certain preventive measures are important for all individuals such as counseling on exercise and screening for high blood pressure. However, universal cancer, cholesterol, or dementia screening may not be cost effective and beneficial in all older adults. These preventive measures should be guided by the individuals' circumstances including their life expectancy, co-morbid illnesses, functional capacity, and quality of life. Clinicians may be able to individualize preventive medicine decisions by stratifying their patients into well and frail using the guidelines we have provided. The goal of prevention and screening in older patients is to improve function and quality of life. Primary care physicians should facilitate discussion of preventive measures with their older patients as part of their ongoing health care.

Cancer screening

Table 3 provides a summary of key recommendations for each cancer site discussed in this chapter. One of the unifying principles of cancer screening is that every clinician or group practice needs to define an explicit screening policy. Resources must then be devoted to implementing this policy, evaluating adherence, and improving performance.

Prevention of cancer in the older person

Both primary and secondary cancer prevention may improve cancer control among older persons. Although chemoprevention of cancer is feasible, the agents currently used for chemoprevention have several complications. As a result, the use of these substances should be individualized based on risk-benefit ratio. It is reasonable to implement screening for cancer of the breast and of the large bowel in persons with a life expectancy of 5 years and longer. No definite recommendation may be issued at present related to screening for prostate, lung, and cervical cancer. Ongoing clinical trials may answer some of these questions.

Usefulness of PSA screening in outpatients with bladder cancer: preliminary results

BACKGROUND

We performed prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening and evaluated its usefulness in outpatients with bladder cancer who may have an elevated risk for prostate cancer.

METHODS

Sixty-one new or followed-up outpatients with bladder cancer were examined between September 1999 and December 2000 in the Department of Urology, Gunma University Hospital, Japan. PSA was measured after informed consent was obtained, and patients in whom the PSA level was 4.1 ng/mL or higher were selected for thorough examination. In the examination, one examiner performed DRE (digital rectal examination) and, based on DRE and TRUS (transrectal ultrasonography) findings, determined whether prostate biopsy was indicated.

RESULTS

The average age of the 61 cases was 69.1 +/- 8.6 years, and the average PSA level was 3.5 +/- 5.8 ng/mL. The PSA level was 4.1 ng/mL or higher in 11 (18.0%) patients, nine of whom underwent six-sextant biopsy under TRUS guidance. Of these nine cases, four (6.6%) were diagnosed as having prostate cancer. The Gleason score was 7 in three cases and 9 in one case. The clinical stage was T2N0M0 in three cases and T3N0M0 in one case.

CONCLUSIONS

On PSA screening in patients with bladder cancer and patients with a history of transurethral resection of the bladder tumor (TUR-BT), prostate cancer was found in 6.6%. This rate is higher than in the general population. These cancers were classified into intermediate to high-risk groups, and the prognosis of prostate cancers could be more important than those of the bladder cancers in two cases (50%). We conclude that PSA screening for inpatients with bladder cancer may be useful.

Predicting disease recurrence in intermediate and high-risk patients undergoing radical prostatectomy using percent positive biopsies: results from CaPSURE

OBJECTIVES

To determine whether percent positive biopsies could be used to predict the probability of disease recurrence in contemporary patients undergoing radical prostatectomy in community-based practice settings. Previous studies have demonstrated the importance of systematic prostate biopsy results in the risk assessment for newly diagnosed patients with prostate cancer.

METHODS

We studied 1265 patients enrolled in CaPSURE (a longitudinal registry of patients with prostate cancer) who underwent radical prostatectomy as definitive local treatment of their prostate cancer. Preoperative characteristics, including age, race, prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level at diagnosis, clinical T stage, biopsy Gleason score, and percent positive prostate biopsies at the time of diagnosis, were determined for each patient. Disease recurrence was defined as PSA level of 0.2 ng/mL or greater on two consecutive occasions after radical prostatectomy or the occurrence of a second cancer treatment more than 6 months after surgery. Cox proportional regression analysis was performed to determine the significant independent predictors of disease recurrence. Patients were assigned to previously described risk groups on the basis of clinical tumor stage, PSA at diagnosis, and biopsy Gleason score. The likelihood of disease recurrence for each risk group, stratified according to the percentage of positive biopsies (0% to 33%, 34% to 66%, and more than 66%), was determined using the Kaplan-Meier method and compared using the log-rank test.

RESULTS

The median follow-up was 3.3 years after surgery. The serum PSA level at diagnosis, biopsy Gleason score, percent positive biopsies, and ethnicity were significant independent predictors of disease recurrence. The percentage of positive prostate biopsies was a significant predictor of disease recurrence for low, intermediate, and high-risk patients. For patients with high-risk disease, the likelihood of disease recurrence 5 years after surgery was 24%, 34%, and 59% for patients with 0% to 33%, 34% to 66%, and more than 66% positive biopsies, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Serum PSA, biopsy Gleason score, and percent positive biopsies were significant predictors of disease recurrence in this population. The percent positive biopsies may be useful in identifying high-risk patients suitable for definitive local therapy.

Perineural invasion and MIB-1 positivity in addition to Gleason score are significant preoperative predictors of progression after radical retropubic prostatectomy for prostate cancer

We assessed the use of clinical stage, serum prostate specific antigen, DNA ploidy, proliferation, and traditional histologic findings from the biopsy to predict prostate cancer progression after radical retropubic prostatectomy. Between 1995 and 1998, 454 consecutive patients with cancer on biopsy were treated by radical retropubic prostatectomy. Preoperative serum prostate specific antigen, clinical stage, Gleason score, percentage of cores and surface area positive for cancer, perineural invasion, and DNA ploidy and MIB-1 immunostain quantitation by image analysis were evaluated in a multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression model to predict cancer progression. Cancer progression was defined as a postoperative serum prostate specific antigen level of > or = 0.4 ng/mL, local recurrence, or systemic progression. Mean follow-up was 3.4 years (range 17 days to 5.8 years). Cancer progression was observed in 73 patients with a mean time to progression of 2.1 years (range 33 days to 5.1 years). Gleason score (p <0.001), MIB-1 cancer proliferation (p = 0.008), and perineural invasion (p = 0.008) were significantly associated with progression. Patients with cancer Gleason scores of 7 and >7 had a 2.5-fold and nearly 4-fold increased risk, respectively, of cancer progression compared with patients with cancer Gleason scores of < or = 6. Patients with perineural invasion at biopsy were twice as likely to progress compared with patients without perineural invasion. Each 1-unit increase in MIB-1 on the natural logarithmic scale increased the risk of cancer progression by 64%. Cancer progression models that include serum prostate specific antigen and clinical stage may require revision to incorporate perineural invasion and MIB-1 proliferative activity in addition to Gleason score.

Incidence and mortality trends for prostate cancer in 5 French areas from 1982 to 1996

After an increase in the 1980s, incidence and mortality for prostate cancer in North America or England and Wales started to decrease in the early 1990s. The reasons for this evolution are widely debated, notably the importance of early detection. This study describes trends of prostate cancer incidence and mortality in 5 areas in France, where practices of early detection for this cancer are widely used. The 5 French administrative areas, covered by a population-based registry, have a total population of approximately 1,700,000 men. Incidence data from these registries were studied for the period 1982-1995, and mortality data were provided by the Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM) for the period 1982-1996. Age-Period-Cohort models by Poisson regression were created to characterize these trends. Between 1982 and 1995, 14,699 cases of prostate cancer were registered by the 5 registries under consideration. After a little intensification of the increase in 1987, undoubtedly due to early detection (notably using Prostate-Specific Antigen), the trend of the incidence seems to reverse from 1993. Mortality increased monotonically from 1982-1990 by an average of 1.8% per year, before decreasing annually by an average of 3.3% until 1996. Poisson regressions indicated a period effect on both incidence and mortality data; a small, but significant, cohort effect exists for incidence evolution, showing that elements such as etiologic factors may have an influence. Until results of randomized studies on mass screening are available, the question of individual screening remains; improved knowledge of risk factors could be interesting.

Promoting informed decision making about prostate cancer screening

Because prostate cancer screening with prostate specific antigen is controversial, informed consent is recommended. Physicians are encouraged to discuss facts about prostate specific antigen with patients and to supplement such discussions with informational brochures or videotapes.

Trends and risk factors for prostate biopsy complications in the pre-PSA and PSA eras, 1980 to 1997

OBJECTIVES

To assess the secular trends in postbiopsy complications and to identify the risk factors for complications.

METHODS

Olmsted County residents who underwent a prostate biopsy between 1980 and 1997 were identified. All community medical records for the study subjects were reviewed to identify prostate biopsy-related complications, including gross hematuria, infection, pain, hematospermia, and acute urinary retention.

RESULTS

Of the 2258 prostate biopsies, 377 (17%) were associated with at least one complication. The total complication rate per biopsy remained relatively consistent at about 17% from 1980 to 1986, 1987 to 1992, and 1993 to 1997 (P for trend = 0.8). The age-adjusted complication rate (per 100,000 men) increased from 26 to 60 in 1980 to 1986 and 1993 to 1997, respectively (P <0.001). This paralleled the increase in prostate biopsy use from 138 to 374 per 100,000 men in the same periods. The prevalence (per biopsy) of gross hematuria increased, 7.5% to 12.8% (P = 0.04); postbiopsy infection declined, 4.6% to 1.4% (P = 0.001); and hospitalization for infection declined, 1.2% to 0.2% (P = 0.06) between 1980 to 1986 and 1993 to 1997. A urogenital infection 6 weeks before biopsy was associated with an increased risk of a postbiopsy complication (odds ratio = 1.7, 95% confidence interval = 1.0 to 2.8) and an increased risk of a postbiopsy infection (odds ratio = 5.5, 95% confidence interval = 2.2 to 13.8).

CONCLUSIONS

Although the complications per biopsy have stayed constant, the prevalence of postbiopsy complications in the community has increased tremendously because of the increased use of prostate biopsies. Specific strategies may be needed to reduce the incidence of postbiopsy infection in men with a recent urogenital infection before biopsy.

Decline in bilateral orchiectomy for prostate cancer in Olmsted county, Minnesota, 1956-2000

OBJECTIVE

To assess long-term secular trends in the utilization of bilateral compared with unilateral orchiectomy in the community.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

This population-based descriptive study reviewed medical records of all Olmsted County, Minnesota, men undergoing orchiectomy between 1956 and 2000.

RESULTS

Over the 45-year study period, 381 Olmsted County men had a first unilateral orchiectomy, while 431 underwent bilateral orchiectomy (including 8 with a second unilateral orchiectomy). There was no change over time in the age-adjusted utilization of unilateral orchiectomy, which was performed for a wide range of indications, mostly cryptorchidism and testicular malignancy. Most bilateral procedures, on the other hand, were in elderly men for castration, and trends over time generally paralleled those reported for prostate cancer in this community.

CONCLUSION

The declining incidence of prostate cancer in recent years, combined with a shift to earlier stages and younger ages at diagnosis, and the development of pharmacological approaches to hormonal manipulation have led to a dramatic decline in the utilization of bilateral orchiectomy, while unilateral orchiectomy rates have remained unchanged.

Validity of the prostate specific antigen test for prostate cancer screening: followup study with a bank of 21,000 sera in Finland

PURPOSE

We investigate the validity of prostate specific antigen (PSA) as a screening test for prostate cancer.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A registry of serum samples drawn from 1968 to 1976 from 21,387 men was linked to the Finnish Cancer Registry. During followup from 1968 to 1991, 104 prostate cancers were identified. A matched case control design with incidence density sampling and nested in the serum sample bank was applied, and PSA was assessed.

RESULTS

The estimated sensitivity of the test was 44% and specificity 94% at a cutoff of 4.0 microg./l. in the total material. The sensitivity had improved to 86% in patients diagnosed in 5 years after the sample drawing. The test had a better sensitivity (93%) and specificity (96%) in men younger than 65 years at the time of the sample drawing compared to those older. The sensitivity further improved to 100% with a cutoff of 2.5 microg./l.

CONCLUSIONS

PSA is a valid screening test for prostate cancer, which compares favorably with mammography for breast cancer. However, until an effect on mortality has been shown, routine screening cannot be recommended.