An empirical evaluation of guidelines on prostate-specific antigen velocity in prostate cancer detection.

BACKGROUND: The National Comprehensive Cancer Network and American Urological Association guidelines on early detection of prostate cancer recommend biopsy on the basis of high prostate-specific antigen (PSA) velocity, even in the absence of other indications such as an elevated PSA or a positive d...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Vickers, A, Till, C, Tangen, C, Lilja, H, Thompson, I
Format: Journal article
Language:English
Published: 2011
_version_ 1797079830391422976
author Vickers, A
Till, C
Tangen, C
Lilja, H
Thompson, I
author_facet Vickers, A
Till, C
Tangen, C
Lilja, H
Thompson, I
author_sort Vickers, A
collection OXFORD
description BACKGROUND: The National Comprehensive Cancer Network and American Urological Association guidelines on early detection of prostate cancer recommend biopsy on the basis of high prostate-specific antigen (PSA) velocity, even in the absence of other indications such as an elevated PSA or a positive digital rectal exam (DRE). METHODS: To evaluate the current guideline, we compared the area under the curve of a multivariable model for prostate cancer including age, PSA, DRE, family history, and prior biopsy, with and without PSA velocity, in 5519 men undergoing biopsy, regardless of clinical indication, in the control arm of the Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial. We also evaluated the clinical implications of using PSA velocity cut points to determine biopsy in men with low PSA and negative DRE in terms of additional cancers found and unnecessary biopsies conducted. All statistical tests were two-sided. RESULTS: Incorporation of PSA velocity led to a very small increase in area under the curve from 0.702 to 0.709. Improvements in predictive accuracy were smaller for the endpoints of high-grade cancer (Gleason score of 7 or greater) and clinically significant cancer (Epstein criteria). Biopsying men with high PSA velocity but no other indication would lead to a large number of additional biopsies, with close to one in seven men being biopsied. PSA cut points with a comparable specificity to PSA velocity cut points had a higher sensitivity (23% vs 19%), particularly for high-grade (41% vs 25%) and clinically significant (32% vs 22%) disease. These findings were robust to the method of calculating PSA velocity. CONCLUSIONS: We found no evidence to support the recommendation that men with high PSA velocity should be biopsied in the absence of other indications; this measure should not be included in practice guidelines.
first_indexed 2024-03-07T00:51:25Z
format Journal article
id oxford-uuid:86885891-e142-4b97-ada5-92587e49f56b
institution University of Oxford
language English
last_indexed 2024-03-07T00:51:25Z
publishDate 2011
record_format dspace
spelling oxford-uuid:86885891-e142-4b97-ada5-92587e49f56b2022-03-26T22:04:36ZAn empirical evaluation of guidelines on prostate-specific antigen velocity in prostate cancer detection.Journal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_dcae04bcuuid:86885891-e142-4b97-ada5-92587e49f56bEnglishSymplectic Elements at Oxford2011Vickers, ATill, CTangen, CLilja, HThompson, I BACKGROUND: The National Comprehensive Cancer Network and American Urological Association guidelines on early detection of prostate cancer recommend biopsy on the basis of high prostate-specific antigen (PSA) velocity, even in the absence of other indications such as an elevated PSA or a positive digital rectal exam (DRE). METHODS: To evaluate the current guideline, we compared the area under the curve of a multivariable model for prostate cancer including age, PSA, DRE, family history, and prior biopsy, with and without PSA velocity, in 5519 men undergoing biopsy, regardless of clinical indication, in the control arm of the Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial. We also evaluated the clinical implications of using PSA velocity cut points to determine biopsy in men with low PSA and negative DRE in terms of additional cancers found and unnecessary biopsies conducted. All statistical tests were two-sided. RESULTS: Incorporation of PSA velocity led to a very small increase in area under the curve from 0.702 to 0.709. Improvements in predictive accuracy were smaller for the endpoints of high-grade cancer (Gleason score of 7 or greater) and clinically significant cancer (Epstein criteria). Biopsying men with high PSA velocity but no other indication would lead to a large number of additional biopsies, with close to one in seven men being biopsied. PSA cut points with a comparable specificity to PSA velocity cut points had a higher sensitivity (23% vs 19%), particularly for high-grade (41% vs 25%) and clinically significant (32% vs 22%) disease. These findings were robust to the method of calculating PSA velocity. CONCLUSIONS: We found no evidence to support the recommendation that men with high PSA velocity should be biopsied in the absence of other indications; this measure should not be included in practice guidelines.
spellingShingle Vickers, A
Till, C
Tangen, C
Lilja, H
Thompson, I
An empirical evaluation of guidelines on prostate-specific antigen velocity in prostate cancer detection.
title An empirical evaluation of guidelines on prostate-specific antigen velocity in prostate cancer detection.
title_full An empirical evaluation of guidelines on prostate-specific antigen velocity in prostate cancer detection.
title_fullStr An empirical evaluation of guidelines on prostate-specific antigen velocity in prostate cancer detection.
title_full_unstemmed An empirical evaluation of guidelines on prostate-specific antigen velocity in prostate cancer detection.
title_short An empirical evaluation of guidelines on prostate-specific antigen velocity in prostate cancer detection.
title_sort empirical evaluation of guidelines on prostate specific antigen velocity in prostate cancer detection
work_keys_str_mv AT vickersa anempiricalevaluationofguidelinesonprostatespecificantigenvelocityinprostatecancerdetection
AT tillc anempiricalevaluationofguidelinesonprostatespecificantigenvelocityinprostatecancerdetection
AT tangenc anempiricalevaluationofguidelinesonprostatespecificantigenvelocityinprostatecancerdetection
AT liljah anempiricalevaluationofguidelinesonprostatespecificantigenvelocityinprostatecancerdetection
AT thompsoni anempiricalevaluationofguidelinesonprostatespecificantigenvelocityinprostatecancerdetection
AT vickersa empiricalevaluationofguidelinesonprostatespecificantigenvelocityinprostatecancerdetection
AT tillc empiricalevaluationofguidelinesonprostatespecificantigenvelocityinprostatecancerdetection
AT tangenc empiricalevaluationofguidelinesonprostatespecificantigenvelocityinprostatecancerdetection
AT liljah empiricalevaluationofguidelinesonprostatespecificantigenvelocityinprostatecancerdetection
AT thompsoni empiricalevaluationofguidelinesonprostatespecificantigenvelocityinprostatecancerdetection