Variations in the use of prostate cancer staging tests: results from one NCCN Institution

Medical care for prostate cancer accounts for as much as $26 billion in medical expenditures. There is debate about whether urologists who treat a large number of cases of prostate cancer use medical resources more efficiently than do urologists who treat fewer patients. This study focuses on one aspect of this debate by addressing the following issue: Are men with prostate cancer more likely to undergo noninvasive staging tests when they are treated by urologists who have higher caseloads than urologists with lower caseloads? Our study identified variations in patterns of ordering staging tests for prostate cancer. The finding supports the use of guidelines. Adherence to the guidelines is likely to be associated with more efficient use of medical resources by physicians with lower caseloads of prostate cancer.