Age specific trends in prostate cancer tests, incidence and mortality in Australia since the introduction of the Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) test

BackgroundPopulation trends in PSA screening and prostate cancer incidence do not perfectly correspond. We aimed to better understand relationships between trends in PSA screening, prostate cancer incidence and mortality in Australia.MethodsDescription of age standardised time trends in PSA tests, prostate biopsies, cancer incidence and mortality within Australia for the age groups: 45-74, 75-84, and 85+ years.ResultsPSA testing increased from its introduction in 1989 to a peak in 2008. It then declined in men aged 45-84 years. Prostate biopsies and cancer incidence declined from 1995 to 2000, in parallel with decrease in trans-urethral resections of prostate (TURP). After 2000, changes in biopsies and cancer incidence paralleled PSA screening in men 45-84 years, while in men ≥85 years, biopsies stabilised and incidence declined. More recently a reduction in TURP correlated with increased Dutasteride and Tamsulosin usage. Prostate cancer mortality in men aged 45-74 years remained low throughout. Mortality in men 75-84 years gradually increased until the mid 1990s, then gradually decreased. Mortality in men ≥85 years increased until the mid 1990s, then stabilised.ConclusionsAge specific prostate cancer incidence largely mirrors PSA screening rates. Most deviation may be explained by changes in management of benign prostatic disease and incidental cancer detection. The timing of the small mortality reduction in men 75-84 years is more consistent with benefits from advances in treatment than with early detection through PSA. The large increases in prostate cancer incidence with minimal changes in mortality suggest overdiagnosis.

Incidentally diagnosed cancer and commonly preceding clinical scenarios: a cross-sectional descriptive analysis of English audit data

ObjectivesCancer can be diagnosed in the absence of tumour-related symptoms, but little is known about the frequency and circumstances preceding such diagnoses which occur outside participation in screening programmes. We aimed to examine incidentally diagnosed cancer among a cohort of cancer patients diagnosed in England.DesignCross-sectional study of national primary care audit data on an incident cancer patient population.SettingWe analysed free-text information on the presenting features of cancer patients aged 15 or older included in the English National Audit of Cancer Diagnosis in Primary Care (2009–2010). Patients with screen-detected cancers or prostate cancer were excluded. We examined the odds of incidental cancer diagnosis by patient characteristics and cancer site using logistic regression, and described clinical scenarios leading to incidental diagnosis.ResultsAmong the studied cancer patient population (n=13 810), 520 (4%) patients were diagnosed incidentally. The odds of incidental cancer diagnosis increased with age (p<0.001), with no difference between men and women after adjustment. Incidental diagnosis was most common among patients with leukaemia (23%), renal (13%) and thyroid cancer (12%), and least common among patients with brain (0.9%), oesophageal (0.5%) and cervical cancer (no cases diagnosed incidentally). Variation in odds of incidental diagnosis by cancer site remained after adjusting for age group and sex.There was a range of clinical scenarios preceding incidental diagnoses in primary or secondary care. These included the monitoring or management of pre-existing conditions, routine testing before or after elective surgery, and the investigation of unrelated acute or new conditions.ConclusionsOne in 25 patients with cancer in our population-based cohort were diagnosed incidentally, through different mechanisms across primary and secondary care settings. The epidemiological, clinical, psychological and economic implications of this phenomenon merit further investigation.

Technical Features of Robot-Assisted Prostatectomy in Patients with Very Enlarged Prostates

Introduction. According to scientific studies, adenocarcinoma coincides with adenomatous tissue within the same prostate gland in 10–83.3 % of cases (including incidental cancer). Clinical situations in which the adenoma reaches a significant size (typically greater than 80 cm3 ) and thus creates considerable difficulties for surgeons occurs in not more than in 8–10 % of all cases of prostatectomy. Given the limitations of external beam radiotherapy and brachytherapy related with prostate volume and poor quality of urination, radical prostatectomy in this group of patients remains the treatment of choice. Features of adenoma, such as large median and lateral lobes, the presence of cystostomy and bladder stones, significantly complicate operational benefits. When an enlarged prostate is one of the factors prior to surgery, robotic technology may have certain advantages.The main goalof this work is to demonstrate the technical advantages of robot-assisted prostatectomy associated with enlarged prostate.Results and discussion. We describe the anatomical landmarks and possible surgical methods for overcoming different variations of benign hyperplasia of the prostate using robot-assisted prostatectomy. This information is particularly useful to surgeons aiming to master robotic surgical platforms. Robot-assisted prostatectomy can be effectively used in the treatment of prostate cancer associated with benign prostatic hyperplasia, and patients can have confidence in the results of such an operation.Conclusion. If a surgeon is sufficiently experienced, robot-assisted prostatectomy may become the method of choice in the treatment of patients with enlarged prostates.