Psychological and physiological impacts of a fast-track diagnostic workup for men with suspected prostate cancer:Preliminary report from a randomized clinical trial

Dear Editor,The increasing number of men who undergo workup for suspected prostate cancer are subject to severe emotional stress[1].Stress levels seem to be elevated as soon as a suspicion of cancer is raised and the waiting time before a final diagnosis may be equally stressful as the post-diagnostic period[1,2].We recently demonstrated a marked increase in risk for different psychiatric disorders during the six months before prostate cancer diagnosis,highlighting the potential impact of emotional stress experienced while waiting for the diagnosis[3].