[A screening program for the diagnosis of early forms of prostatic carcinoma]

Carcinoma of the prostate is at present one of the most frequently occurring malignancies in the male population. The disease can be cured only at the early stage when it has not yet spread beyond the limits of the gland. Early, clinically asymptomatic forms of carcinoma of the prostate can be diagnosed only by screening examinations of men. The justification of screening has, however, not been conclusively established and the fear of damaging the patient on examination could not be dispelled. The project of an international co-operative study was accepted in Stockholm in 1990 with the aim to address this question. The Department of Urology of Derer's Hospital with Policlinic, along with several urological, oncological, and research departments, have decided to join the project in order to contribute to the improvement of diagnosis and treatment of carcinoma of the prostate. (Fig. 1, Ref. 12.).