What is the prevalence of prostate cancer among men with low prostate-specific antigen levels?
Shabbir M.H. Alibhai Division of General Internal Medicine & Clinical Epidemiology University Health Network Toronto, Ontario Thompson IM, Pauler DK, Goodman PJ, Tangen CM, Lucia MS, Parnes HL, et al. Prevalence of prostate cancer among men with a prostate-specific antigen level 4.0 ng per milliliter. N Engl J Med 2004; 350:2239-46. Background: Screening for prostate cancer usually involves measuring prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels and performing prostate biopsies if the PSA level is above a certain cutoff level (usually 4 ng/mL [µg/L]). There has been no systematic assessment of the prevalence and clinical significance of prostate cancers detected at PSA levels below conventional cutoff levels. Design: This study used patient data collected from the placebo arm of a large randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of finasteride for the primary prevention of prostate cancer.1 Men were enrolled if they were otherwise healthy, were aged 55 or more, had a PSA level of 3.0
