Update on screening and early detection of prostate cancer

The aim of this review is to discuss advances in the field of screening and early detection of prostate cancer from papers published in 2003.

The fall in distant prostate cancer mortality accounted for the overall decline in cause-specific mortality rates in the USA. In the European prostate cancer screening trial (European Randomized Study of Screening for Prostate Cancer), there is considerable stage migration towards organ-confined disease, which becomes more pronounced in the second screening round. The high sensitivity of the screening protocol (approximately 90%), low interval cancer rate (13-19%) and lead time estimates of 10 years and longer support a 4-year screening interval, current procedure in the European Randomized Study of Screening for Prostate Cancer trial. Advances achieved in research on the discriminative power of the free prostate-specific antigen forms, particularly pro-prostate-specific antigen, have progressed and may be introduced in cancer detection at low prostate-specific antigen levels rather than a further reduction of the current prostate-specific antigen threshold.

Definitive evidence on the effectiveness of prostate cancer screening with prostate-specific antigen should come from the ongoing European Randomized Study of Screening for Prostate Cancer and Prostate, Lung, Colorectal and Ovary cancer trials, and should further elucidate the debate about the appropriate prostate-specific antigen threshold. Free prostate-specific antigen sub-forms offer prospects for prostate cancer detection at low prostate-specific antigen levels.