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Prostate cancer risk of death predicted by baseline PSA
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted July 26, 2010
Men who have a baseline prostate-specific antigen level of 10 ng/mL or higher the first time they are tested are roughly 11 times more likely to die from prostate cancer than men with lower initial values, according to a study posted online June 29 in Cancer.
Researchers analyzed data on 4,568 men in the Duke Prostate Center database who had their baseline PSA measurement between August 1987 and March 2009. The men were diagnosed with prostate cancer. The median age of the men at baseline was 65 years. The median baseline PSA was 4.5 ng/mL, and the average follow-up period was more than nine years (link).
Researchers found that men with a baseline PSA of 4.0 ng/mL to 9.9 ng/mL had a threefold higher rate of death from prostate cancer than those with levels of less than 2.5 ng/mL. Men whose baseline PSA was 10 ng/mL or greater had an 11.5-fold higher rate of death.
The study concludes that baseline PSA is a reliable predictor of death from prostate cancer. Researchers said baseline levels also can be used to stratify patients at risk of death from the disease, along with other factors, including a patient's age and race.
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2010/07/26/prbf0726.htm.
