摘要
2011 was a noteworthy year for those interested in the care of patients with prostate cancer. First, the US Preventive Services Task Force （USPSTF） released an update on prostate cancer screening, and recommended against the use of the prostate-specific antigen （PSA） test for all men, regardless of family history or race. While this surprised many in the field, the conclusion that there is more harm than benefit is inescapable on a population level--the focus of the USPSTF. Most men with newly diagnosed prostate cancer have favorable risk disease and are at an age when treatment is unlikely to extend life---a conclusion that is supported by randomized trials. Second, the National Institutes of Health convened a ＇State of the Science＇ conference on active surveillance for prostate cancer, and concluded that the rates of overtreatment of prostate cancer are high and surveillance is greatly underutilized. Both the USPSTF and the National Institutes of Health conference were prompted in large part by the recognition that widespread PSA testing leads to prostate biopsies that often uncover indolent disease. In the majority of cases,
2011 was a noteworthy year for those interested in the care of patients with prostate cancer. First, the US Preventive Services Task Force （USPSTF） released an update on prostate cancer screening, and recommended against the use of the prostate-specific antigen （PSA） test for all men, regardless of family history or race. While this surprised many in the field, the conclusion that there is more harm than benefit is inescapable on a population level--the focus of the USPSTF. Most men with newly diagnosed prostate cancer have favorable risk disease and are at an age when treatment is unlikely to extend life---a conclusion that is supported by randomized trials. Second, the National Institutes of Health convened a ＇State of the Science＇ conference on active surveillance for prostate cancer, and concluded that the rates of overtreatment of prostate cancer are high and surveillance is greatly underutilized. Both the USPSTF and the National Institutes of Health conference were prompted in large part by the recognition that widespread PSA testing leads to prostate biopsies that often uncover indolent disease. In the majority of cases,
