PSA Test Result Interpretation in Low-risk Prostate Cancer – Changes Offer Limited Data in Watchful Waiting

During a study conducted on males having low-risk prostate cancer going through active surveillance, prostate-specific antigen or PSA test result interpretation like PSA doubled time and PSA velocity did not dependably recognize cancer advancement. The outcomes of this study were printed in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

Early-stage prostate cancer therapy would entail surgical intervention, radiation therapy or no therapy till the time cancer has advanced – also known as watchful waiting or active surveillance.

During watchful waiting, close monitoring is mostly done in order to identify the extent to which prostate cancer has progressed. A digital rectal examination and a periodically done blood analysis along side repeat prostate biopsy procedures were part of monitoring. In an endeavor at helping males steer clear from the need of undergoing repeated biopsies, investigators have probed for other lesser invasive actions for tracking cancer advancement.

During the recently conducted study, investigators did an evaluation of PSA levels among entrants having low-risk prostate cancer going through active surveillance for the purpose of determining if or not identification of particular measures of PSA changes like doubling time, velocity or PSA test result interpretation could be done with precision. Measurements of PSA and digital rectal examination were conducted bi-annually as part of active surveillance along with an additional yearly biopsy procedure.

• Subsequent to 2.9 years of typical follow up done on the study candidates, thirty-five percent of the males who were part of the active surveillance group were found to have an adverse biopsy procedure outcome and were suggested to go through therapy.
• Subsequent to identification, PSA test result interpretation for checking PSA change (like PSA doubling time and PSA velocity) were observed to not have high correlation with biopsy procedure outcome.

The study investigators came to a conclusion that in case of males having low-risk prostate cancer and going through active surveillance, regular surveillance biopsy continues to hold importance for identifying cancer advancement. However, an aspect to be taken into consideration is that this study conducted was a comparatively small-scaled on and carried out at a single establishment that might restrict these study outcomes from being generalized.