Screening for prostate cancer: How to manage in 2006

Abstract

National Societies usually recommend screening for Prostate Cancer (PC) with Serum Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) and digital rectal examination annually beginning at age 50. In high risk population including men with a family history of PC or African population screening should start at age of 45 years. PSA has been widely used to detect PC despite the fact that PSA is not specific for PC. Over the years serum PSA level of greater than 4,0ng/ml was considered the threshold to perform prostate biopsy, searching for PC. In 2005 the Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial (PCPT) demonstrated that the cut-off of 4,0ng/ml for PSA is not anymore adapted1 due to the fact that this survey found in 15% of men with PSA < or = 4,0ng/ml a prostate cancer on sextant biopsies. Today the value of PSA and the cut-off for Prostate biopsy is questioned suggesting that PSA level higher than 2,6ng/ml must be the case to propose Prostate Biopsy. Catalona confirms that approximately 25% to 30% of men with PSA 2,6 to 4,0ng/ml have prostate cancer2. Schr?der and Gosselaar3 assert that screening for PC at low PSA levels (<4,0ng/ml) risks to detect clinically insignificant cancers which are no threat to man. So far in the year 2006 screening for PC demonstrates accumulating evidences of efficacy but persistent uncertainty4. The major question for an urologist at work when facing a young men searching early diagnosis of PC is: at which level of PSA do we have to perform rectal biopsy ?.