The study shows that over an estimated 10-year period, men who have an annual prostate specific antigen (PSA) test will have a 3.6 percent chance of dying from the disease, compared to 11.3 percent in the general population. Patients who have the test are more likely to be diagnosed with prostate cancer that is curable in the vast majority of cases, as opposed to aggressive cancers that are less likely to be curable.
"The PSA blood test is the best simple screening test available for prostate cancer that picks up prostate cancer earlier, while it's still curable," said Jason Efstathiou, M.D., lead author of the study and a resident at the Harvard Radiation Oncology Program in Boston.
A PSA test is a blood test that measures the level of prostate specific antigen, a protein produced by the prostate. Increased levels of PSA may be a sign of prostate cancer.
The study took place between 1988 and 2002 and involved 1,492 men who were treated for prostate cancer by the surgical removal of their prostate and whose cancer came back. Among this group, 841 men had yearly PSA tests before their cancer diagnosis, while 611 men were diagnosed by other methods. There are large, randomized trials currently going in both the U.S. and Europe that will further confirm the impact of PSA screening tests among prostate cancer patients by 2008.
For more information on radiation therapy for prostate cancer, please visit www.rtanswers.org.
Dr. Efstathiou will be presenting the study at 10:15 a.m. on October 19 in Room 304 of the Colorado Convention Center. If you would like a copy of the abstract, "Evidence to Support that Serial Screening Decreases Prostate Cancer-Specific Mortality" or would like to speak to the lead author of the study, Jason Efstathiou, M.D., please call Beth Bukata or Nick Lashinsky October 16-20 in the ASTRO Press Room at the Colorado Convention Center at 303-288-8454 or 303-228-8455. You may also e-mail them at bethb@astro.org or nickl@astro.org.
ASTRO is the largest radiation oncology society in the world, with more than 8,000 members who specialize in treating patients with radiation therapies. As a leading organization in radiation oncology, biology and physics, the Society is dedicated to the advancement of the practice of radiation oncology by promoting excellence in patient care, providing opportunities for educational and professional development, promoting research and disseminating research results and representing radiation oncology in a rapidly evolving socioeconomic healthcare environment.