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Study: PCa screening reduces advanced cancer risk
Prostate cancer screening decreases a patient's risk of developing metastatic disease, according to Cleveland Clinic researchers.
Prostate cancer screening decreases a patient’s risk of developing metastatic disease, according to Cleveland Clinic researchers.
Patients treated before routine PSA screening was advocated had a 10-year metastases-free survival of 74%, while those treated after routine PSA screening was advocated had an 82% 15-year metastases-free survival, the researchers reported in a study published in Urology (2012; 80:367-73).
"The study shows that routine PSA screening reduces the risk of developing advanced cancer, which is associated with additional treatment-related costs and morbidity," said first author Jay P. Ciezki, MD.
In the study, the authors determined that a more meaningful way to evaluate the effectiveness of screening was to examine its ability to decrease the development of metastatic disease after treatment.
The study was based on data from more than 1,700 prostate cancer patients who were treated at Cleveland Clinic with either radiation therapy or prostatectomy. To assess the impact of screening, the patients were divided into two groups according to when they were treated: a pre-screening era (1986-1992) and a post-screening era (1993-1996).
Patients were classified as having high, intermediate, or low-risk disease to determine which groups may have benefited from prostate cancer screening. The 10- and 15-year rates were used to account for changes in the population caused by screening. The benefit of screening was seen across all risk groups.
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