Division of Urology, Department of Surgery and Duke Prostate Center, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina.

To evaluate the US Preventative Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommendation to discontinue prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening at age 75.

Public survey: A cohort of 340 patients was surveyed at our PSA screening clinic and stratified by awareness of the recommendation and education level. Age (< 75, >/= 75), race, health insurance status, knowledge of prostate cancer, and opinion on screening discontinuation at age 75 was evaluated between groups. Disease risk and survival analysis: A cohort of 4196 men who underwent radical prostatectomy between 1988 and 2008 was stratified into age groups: < 65, 65-74, and >/= 75. Associations between clinicopathologic variables, disease risk, and survival were compared between age groups using univariate and multivariate analysis.

Approximately 78% of men surveyed disagreed with the USPSTF recommendation. The number of men who disagreed was not significantly different between awareness groups (P = .962). Awareness of new screening guidelines showed a significant difference (P = .006) between education groups. Age >/= 75 years was predictive of high-risk disease based on D'Amico's criteria (odds ratio = 2.72, P = .003). Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression analyses showed an association of men aged >/= 75 years with higher rate of PSA recurrence, distant metastasis, and disease specific death compared with the age groups of < 65 and 65-74 (P < .05).

Men presenting to our PSA screening clinic disagreed with discontinuation of screening at age 75. Men aged >/= 75 years had higher risk disease and poorer survival. The USPSTF recommendation was supported neither by public opinion nor disease risk and survival results.

Written by:
Caire AA, Sun L, Robertson CN, Polascik TJ, Maloney KE, George DJ, Price MM, Stackhouse DA, Lack BD, Albala DM, Moul JW.   Are you the author?

Reference:
Urology. 2009 Oct 6. Epub ahead of print.
doi:10.1016/j.urology.2009.06.091

PubMed Abstract
PMID:19815259

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