February 21st 2025
The outsized burden continues among Black men, a group with prostate cancer incidence rates 67% higher than those of White men and mortality rates more than twice as high.
An Example of Futile Spending: Preventive Screening at End of Life
November 5th 2010Looking at contemporary medicine’s complex landscape, especially in regard to soaring costs, can make practitioners dizzy. For example, if primary care physicians were asked whether it is cost-efficient and reasonable to screen with prostate-specific antigen (PSA) measurement for early-stage prostate cancer in men with terminal pancreatic cancer or to perform colonoscopy for early diagnosis of colon cancer in women with stage IV lung cancer, the answer would be a quick and uniform no. Unfortunately, a recent publication suggests that in the real world the answer has been yes, as disturbing and wasteful as that may be.
Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia: Current Treatment Strategies
February 2nd 2009Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH)-histologically defined as stromal and epithelial hyperplasia beginning in the periurethral transitional zone of the prostate-affects up to 80% of 80-year-old men.[1,2] With progressive prostatic enlargement, bladder outlet obstruction can result. Although the exact mechanism is unknown, lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) can signal progressive BPH.
Updated Guidelines Give Thumbs Down on PSA Screening in Older Men
October 2nd 2008To screen or not to screen? The answer is not straightforward when it comes to prostate cancer. Recently updated guidelines from the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommend against prostate- specific antigen (PSA) screening in men who are 75 years and older and state that there is insufficient evidence to confirm whether screening is beneficial-or harmful -to men younger than 75 years.1,2 The recommendations are summarized in the Table.
ASCO PROSTATE: Imaging Not Helpful in Men With Low PSA in Biochemical Failure
February 27th 2007KISSIMMEE, Fla. -- After definitive prostate cancer therapy, there is little value in imaging studies when patients with biochemical failure are asymptomatic and have PSA levels less than 5 ng/mL, researchers here reported.
ASCO PROSTATE: More Radiation Improves PSA Control but Increases Toxicities
February 26th 2007KISSISSIMEE, FLA. -- Escalated-dose conformal radiotherapy for localized prostate cancer was associated with a 34% reduction in the relative risk of biochemical failure in a randomized trial of 843 men also with treated with androgen deprivation therapy.
Making Sense of Cancer Screening Controversies
December 31st 2006Highlights:➤What to tell your patients about thebenefits-and risks-of mammography.➤A realistic look at cancer screening: Arewe overstating the benefits?➤Which screening strategies you canrecommend with confidence.➤How best to bring the patient into thedecision-making process.
PSA Screening Should Emphasize Changes Over Time, Study Suggests
December 6th 2006PSA velocity, not a man's absolute PSA level, is a better predictor of prostate cancer risk, according to a study from the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. The findings suggest that screening should begin at age 40, not 50.