News-27th to 30th April (Updated-12 Posts)

Africans Have Greatest Genetic Variation USA-30th April

Study predicts dramatic growth in cancer rates among US elderly, minorities USA-30th April

50-year-old McEnroe talks prostate health USA-29th April

Cancer Awareness Critical among Minority Communities USA-29th April

10,000 people seek advice from charity on prostate cancer in three years Ireland-29th April

Prostate cancer awareness urged India-29th April

More diagnosed with skin cancer UK(Scotland)-28th April


Urology group supports use of PSA test USA-28th April


In my opinion this is an excellent update to the original 'AUA PSA Best Practice Policy 2000'.The two changes shown below are pretty major additions and should go some way in appeasing the many USA organisations eg The "New" Prostate Cancer InfoLink who have campaigned for men to be given improved information regarding the +/-'s of the two initial tests.

The report is an update of the previous AUA PSA Best Practice Policy 2000.

There are 2 notable differences in the current policy.

First, the age for obtaining a baseline PSA has been lowered to 40 years.

Secondly, the current policy no longer recommends a single,threshold value of PSA which should prompt prostate biopsy.

Rather, the decision to proceed to prostate biopsy should be based primarily on PSA and DRE results, but should take into account multiple factors including free and total PSA, patient age, PSA velocity, PSA density, family
history, ethnicity, prior biopsy history and comorbidities. In addition, although recently published trials show different results with regard to the impact of prostate cancer screening on mortality, both suggest that prostate cancer screening leads to overdetection and overtreatment of some patients.

Therefore, the AUA strongly supports that men be informed of the risks and
benefits of prostate cancer screening before biopsy and the option of active surveillance in lieu of immediate treatment for certain men newly diagnosed with prostate cancer.
Prostate-Specific Antigen Best Practice Statement:2009 Update AUA-27th April


Merits of PSA screening affirmed in AUA Best Practice Statement
Apr 27, 2009
Urology Times Daily Meeting Report

Weighing in on the debate over the value and use of PSA testing, AUA today issued a new Best Practice Statement about prostate cancer screening that urges clinicians to offer the PSA test to well-informed men over age 40 whose life expectancy is at least 10 years.

Updating AUA’s previous guidance, issued in 2000, the current document asserts that, offered and interpreted appropriately, PSA testing provides information crucial to accurate diagnosis, pre-treatment staging and risk assessment, and post-treatment monitoring of prostate cancer. Further, the authors maintain that the decision to use the test is between a man and his physician.

"There is no single standard that applies to all men, nor should there be at this time," said Peter Carroll, MD, chair of the panel that developed the statement. "The panel carefully reviewed the most recently reported trials of PSA testing in both the United States and Europe before finalizing the guidelines. The strengths and limitations of these trials are reviewed in the guideline."

Among its key points, the Best Practice Statement states:

Serum PSA predicts the response of prostate cancer to local therapy.

Routine bone scans are not required for staging asymptomatic men with clinically treated disease when their PSA level is ≤20.0 mg/mL.

CT or MRI scans may be useful for staging men with high-risk clinically localized disease when their PSA is>20 ng/mL, their disease is locally advanced, or when their Gleason score is ≥8.

Pelvic lymph node dissection for clinically localized disease may be unnecessary if PSA is less <10
Merits of PSA screening affirmed in AUA Best Practice Statement AUA-27th April


Doctors Urge Baseline Test For Prostate Cancer USA-27th April


The American Urological Association (AUA) will offer journalists the opportunity to hear from world-renowned experts about prostate cancer screening and prevention during a special expert panel session on April 27, 2009 at 12:15 p.m.
Authors representing the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal and Ovarian (PLCO) Cancer Screening Trial, the European Randomised Study of Screening for Prostate Cancer (ERSPC) and the Reduction by Dutasteride of Prostate Cancer Events (REDUCE) Trial will present data to the media. The panel will be moderated by William J. Catalona, MD.

The event will be immediately followed by a special press conference during which the AUA will unveil to the media its new Best Practice Statement on Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) testing. This guidance updates the AUA's previous statement, which was issued in 2000, and will provide valuable guidance about which patients should be offered the PSA test as well as when a biopsy is indicated following an elevated PSA reading.
Expert panel on prostate cancer screening and prevention AUA-27th April