Urologists' Current Practices in Screening and Treating Men With a Family History of Prostate Cancer

To assess urologists' knowledge and utilization of family history to determine prostate cancer (PC) screening and treatment recommendations.

Questionnaires that explored urologists' knowledge, frequency, and utilization of family history information for screening and treatment recommendations for PC were prospectively collected. Data were summarized and compared using descriptive statistics.

A total of 87 responses were collected, for a response rate of 60% (87 of 145). The majority of urologists reported that they always collect family history when discussing risk (95%) or screening (87%), and recommended earlier screening for men with family history of PC in comparison with men with no family history. Although only 57% reported always collecting family history when discussing treatment, the majority of respondents reported that a positive family history influenced their treatment recommendations. Eight percent of urologists would recommend prostatectomy for men diagnosed with low-grade, low-risk PC and no family history of PC vs 52% who would recommend the same course of treatment when the patient had at least 1 first-degree relative who died of the disease. Conversely, 91% of urologists would recommend active surveillance for men with low-grade, low-risk PC and no family history vs 47% for those with at least 1 first-degree relative who died of the disease.

The majority of urologists collect information on family history of PC. Despite the lack of literature to support that patients with familial PC require more aggressive treatment, urologists were more likely to recommend definitive therapies.