BACKGROUND:Inconclusive test results often occur after prostate-specific antigen (PSA)-based screening for prostate cancer (PCa), leading to uncertainty on whether, how, and when to repeat testing.
OBJECTIVE:To develop and validate a prediction tool for the risk of PCa 4 yr after an initially negative screen.
DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS:We analyzed data from 15 791 screen-negative men aged 55-70 yr at the initial screening round of the Rotterdam section of the European Randomized Study of Screening for Prostate Cancer.
OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS AND STATISTICAL ANALYSIS:Follow-up and repeat screening at 4 yr showed either no PCa, low-risk PCa, or potentially high-risk PCa (defined as clinical stage >T2b and/or biopsy Gleason score ≥7 and/or PSA ≥10.0 ng/ml). A multinomial logistic regression analysis included initial screening data on age, PSA, digital rectal examination (DRE), family history, prostate volume, and having had a previous negative biopsy. The 4-yr risk predictions were validated with additional follow-up data up to 8 yr after initial screening.
RESULTS AND LIMITATIONS:Positive family history and, especially, PSA level predicted PCa, whereas a previous negative biopsy or a large prostate volume reduced the likelihood of future PCa. The risk of having PCa 4 yr after an initially negative screen was 3.6% (interquartile range: 1.0-4.7%). Additional 8-yr follow-up data confirmed these predictions. Although data were based on sextant biopsies and a strict protocol-based biopsy indication, we suggest that men with a low predicted 4-yr risk (eg, ≤ 1.0%) could be rescreened at longer intervals or not at all, depending on competing risks, while men with an elevated 4-yr risk (eg, ≥5%) might benefit from immediate retesting. These findings need to be validated externally.
CONCLUSIONS: This 4-yr future risk calculator, based on age, PSA, DRE, family history, prostate volume, and previous biopsy status, may be a promising tool for reducing uncertainty, unnecessary testing, and overdiagnosis of PCa.
Written by:
Roobol MJ, Zhu X, Schröder FH, van Leenders GJ, van Schaik RH, Bangma CH, Steyerberg EW. Are you the author?
Department of Urology, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Reference: Eur Urol. 2012 Jul 20. Epub ahead of print.
doi: 10.1016/j.eururo.2012.07.029
PubMed Abstract
PMID: 22841675
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