A pilot study of an organised population-based testing programme for prostate cancer

Area of Science:

• Urology
• Oncology
• Health Informatics

Background:

• Organised prostate cancer testing (OPT) programs aim to improve early detection and patient outcomes.
• Digital automation offers potential for efficient and scalable population-based screening initiatives.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the operational feasibility of a digitally automated, population-based organised prostate cancer testing (OPT) program in Southern Sweden.
• To assess the performance of a risk stratification model incorporating prostate-specific antigen (PSA), PSA density (PSAD), and multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Main Methods:

• A pilot study involved 999 randomly selected men aged 50, 56, and 62 years.
• Risk stratification used PSA levels, PSAD, and bi-parametric prostate MRI (PI-RADS 4-5).
• An automated digital system managed patient selection, communication, and data processing.

Main Results:

• 418 men (42%) participated, with higher uptake in older age groups.
• 10 men were diagnosed with prostate cancer, with six undergoing active treatment and four active surveillance.
• The study demonstrated the operational feasibility of the automated system.

Conclusions:

• The digitally automated OPT model is operationally feasible.
• Limited study scale prevents conclusions on diagnostic model efficacy or patient outcomes.
• Further investigation is warranted to validate the model's effectiveness in a larger population.