Radiotherapy Safe for Prostate Cancer in HIV-Infected Patients Cancerpage.com, GA - 26 minutes ago ... included 14 HIV-infected patients with prostate cancer who were treated with external beam radiotherapy, brachytherapy, or both. PSA level, CD4+ cell ...
Raised hopes for prostate cancer sufferers Times Online, UK - The president defied the gloomy prognosis of doctors by living for 15 or 16 years with inoperable prostate cancer. He chose to have intermittent hormone ...
Health calendar News-Leader.com, MO - Prostate cancer screenings, 8-10 am Wednesday, conference room of Hulston Cancer Center, 3850 S. National Ave. The screenings will include a ...
Failure to Diagnose Prostate Cancer Justice News Flash, FL - Nov 28, 2008 The PSA test is an extremely valuable screening tool because, while prostate cancer may not be detected on physical examination due to the inherent ...
Prostate Health: Free Online Webinar All About Prostate Health Emediawire (press release), WA - Nov 29, 2008 Dr. Randall Wilkinson, CEO of Aspen Benefits Group, will be interviewing Dr. Ronald Wheeler, Director of The Prostatitis and Prostate Cancer Center in ...
Prostate test advice for elderly won't stop debate The Associated Press - 9 minutes ago Prostate cancer screening is done with two tests: a blood test that measures prostate specific antigen, or PSA, and a digital rectal exam. ...
MDs urged to quit prostate screens in elderly men The Associated Press - NEW YORK (AP) ? Doctors should stop routine prostate cancer screening of men over 75 because there is more evidence of harm than benefit, a federal task ...
Treating an enlarged prostate Abilene Reporter-News, TX - Because PSA can signal the presence of prostate cancer, alpha-reductase inhibitors might hide prostate cancer or delay its detection. ...
Surgery was his best option Orlando Sentinel, FL - His PSA (prostate specific antigen) levels were elevated. Lewars, 49, didn't have any symptoms of prostate cancer -- no pain urinating, no getting up in the ...
PSA Still Best Predictor of Prostate Cancer Recurrence
September 23, 2005 08:41:15 PM PST
Measuring the blood protein prostate specific antigen (PSA) is still the best method of predicting the likelihood of cancer recurrence after prostate cancer surgery, according to a Johns Hopkins University study appearing in the October issue of the Journal of Urology.
The finding counters recent claims by some experts that PSA tests may not be effective in predicting prostate cancer risk. PSA is a protein produced by the prostate gland that increases in the presence of prostate cancer.
The study of more than 2,300 men concluded that those with high PSA levels before prostate-removing surgery were much more likely to have advanced cancer, and evidence of higher-grade cancers in tissue removed during the surgery.
Increasing PSA levels were significantly associated with increased risk of cancer recurrence after prostate surgery, even in men who had lower PSA levels before surgery, the study found. Men with PSA levels of 20 nanograms per milliliter were five times more likely to develop cancer after surgery than men with PSA levels of less than 10 nanograms per milliliter.
"In our study, PSA levels measured before prostate removal surgery were significantly associated with the risk of recurrent cancer after surgery. These data support the notion that PSA remains the best available prostate cancer tumor marker. It certainly suggests that the PSA era is alive and well," study leader Dr. Stephen J. Freedland, a clincial instructor of urology, said in a prepared statement.
"From our study and others, it is clear that a single PSA value is an extremely useful measure of a patient's risk of progression after surgery. However, looking at how quickly the PSA increases over time is likely to be even more informative than a single value," Freedland said.
More information
The U.S. National Cancer Institute has more about prostate cancer.
