PSA Era (psa + era)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


Risk factors for prostate cancer incidence and progression in the health professionals follow-up study

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CANCER, Issue 7 2007
Edward Giovannucci
Abstract Risk factors for prostate cancer could differ for various sub-groups, such as for "aggressive" and "non-aggressive" cancers or by grade or stage. Determinants of mortality could differ from those for incidence. Using data from the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study, we re-examined 10 factors (cigarette smoking history, physical activity, BMI, family history of prostate cancer, race, height, total energy consumption, and intakes of calcium, tomato sauce and ,-linolenic acid) using multivariable Cox regression in relation to multiple subcategories for prostate cancer risk. These were factors that we previously found to be predictors of prostate cancer incidence or advanced prostate cancer in this cohort, and that have some support in the literature. In this analysis, only 4 factors had a clear statistically significant association with overall incident prostate cancer: African,American race, positive family history, higher tomato sauce intake (inversely) and ,-linolenic acid intake. In contrast, for fatal prostate cancer, recent smoking history, taller height, higher BMI, family history, and high intakes of total energy, calcium and ,-linolenic acid were associated with a statistically significant increased risk. Higher vigorous physical activity level was associated with lower risk. In relation to these risk factors, advanced stage at diagnosis was a good surrogate for fatal prostate cancer, but high-grade (Gleason , 7 or Gleason , 8) was not. Only for high calcium intake was there a close correspondence for associations among high-grade cancer, advanced and fatal prostate cancer. Tomato sauce (inversely) and ,-linolenic acid (positively) intakes were strong predictors of advanced cancer among those with low-grade cancers at diagnosis. Although the proportion of advanced stage cancers was much lower after PSA screening began, risk factors for advanced stage prostate cancers were similar in the pre-PSA and PSA era. The complexity of the clinical and pathologic manifestations of prostate cancer must be considered in the design and interpretation of studies. © 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]


Per-operative frozen section examination of pelvic nodes is unnecessary for the majority of clinically localized prostate cancers in the prostate-specific antigen era

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF UROLOGY, Issue 8 2000
Yoshiyuki Kakehi
Abstract Background: The incidence of unsuspected lymph node metastasis seems to be decreasing in the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) era. It remains controversial as to whether routine pelvic lymph node dissection and per-operative frozen section examination should be performed. In addition, it is still unclear whether an aggressive approach to local disease by surgery or irradiation confers survival benefits on stage D1 patients. Methods: Eighty-eight consecutive patients with clinically localized prostate cancer who underwent pelvic lymph node dissection prior to radical prostatectomy during the period between 1985 and 1998 were analyzed. The incidence of lymph node metastases after 1992 was compared with that before 1992. Sensitivity and specificity of frozen section examination was assessed. Progression-free survival and cause-specific survival curves of node-positive patients who underwent radical prostatectomy were estimated by the Kaplan,Meier method. Results: Six of 17 patients (35.3%) treated before 1992 and five of 71 patients (7.0%) treated after 1992 showed unsuspected lymph node metastasis (P = 0.0059). Eight of 11 node-positive patients underwent radical prostatectomy and two have so far demonstrated clinical progression and cancer death with a median follow-up period of 63 months. The 5 year progression-free rate and the cause-specific survival rate for these patients were 71.4 and 85.7%, respectively. Sensitivity of frozen section examination for micrometastasis and gross-metastasis cases, respectively, was 3/6 (50%) and 4/4 (100%), while specificity was 85/85 (100%). Conclusions: The incidence of unsuspected lymph node metastases has been significantly decreased in the PSA era. Frozen section examination of pelvic nodes can be omitted and radical prostatectomy is an acceptable choice of treatment in patients without macroscopically apparent nodal metastases. [source]


Long-term data on the survival of patients with prostate cancer treated with radical prostatectomy in the prostate-specific antigen era

BJU INTERNATIONAL, Issue 1 2010
Hendrik Isbarn
Study Type , Therapy (case series) Level of Evidence 4 OBJECTIVE To examine the long-term rates of biochemical recurrence (BCR)-free survival, cancer-specific mortality (CSM)-free survival, and overall survival (OS) in patients with prostate cancer treated with open radical prostatectomy (RP) in the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) era. PATIENTS AND METHODS The study comprised 436 patients who were treated with RP between 1992 and 1997 at our institution. None received adjuvant/salvage therapy in the absence of BCR. The BCR-free, CSM-free and OS rates were defined using the Kaplan-Meier method. Multivariable Cox-regression models were used to test the effect of age, preoperative PSA level, neoadjuvant hormonal therapy, pT stage, lymph node status, RP Gleason sum and surgical margin status on BCR. RESULTS The median follow-up of censored patients was 122, 128, and 132 months for, respectively, BCR-free, CSM-free and OS estimates. The 10-year event-free survival rates for the same endpoints were 60%, 94% and 86%, respectively. Preoperative PSA level, RP Gleason sum, pT stage, lymph node status, and surgical margin status were independent predictors of BCR (all adjusted P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS This study is the first to evaluate the long-term cancer control outcomes after RP from a European country in the PSA era. Our data indicate that RP provides excellent long-term survival rates in patients with clinically localized prostate cancer. Although ,40% of patients have BCR after 10 years of follow-up, the CSM rate after 10 years is as low as 6%. [source]


Stage migration in localized prostate cancer has no effect on the post-radical prostatectomy Kattan nomogram

BJU INTERNATIONAL, Issue 5 2010
Ruban Thanigasalam
Study Type , Prognosis (case series) Level of Evidence 4 OBJECTIVE To investigate the effect of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing on stage migration in an Australian population, and its consequences on the prognostic accuracy of the post-radical prostatectomy (RP) Kattan nomogram, as in North America widespread PSA testing has resulted in prostate cancer stage migration, questioning the utility of prognostic nomograms in this setting. PATIENTS AND METHODS The study comprised 1008 men who had consecutive RP for localized prostate cancer between 1991 and 2001 at one institution. Two groups were assessed, i.e. those treated in 1991,96 (group 1, the early PSA era), and 1997,2001 (group 2, the contemporary PSA era). Differences in clinicopathological features between the groups were analysed by chi-squared testing and survival modelling. Individual patient data were entered into the post-RP Kattan nomogram and the efficacy assessed by receiver- operating characteristic curve analysis. RESULTS Patients in group 2 had lower pathological stage disease (P = 0.01) and fewer cancers with Gleason score ,8 (P < 0.001) than group 1. Multivariate analysis identified preoperative serum PSA level (P < 0.01) and Gleason score (P < 0.01) as strong predictors of biochemical relapse in both groups. In group 2 pathological stage was not significant, but margin involvement became highly significant (P = 0.004). There was no difference in the predictive accuracy of the Kattan nomogram between the groups (P = 0.253). CONCLUSIONS These findings show a downward stage migration towards organ-confined disease after the introduction of widespread PSA testing in an Australian cohort. Despite this, the Kattan nomogram remains a robust prognostic tool in clinical practice. [source]