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Prostate cancer: What PCPs need to know
Prostate cancer is the second-most common cancer in men in the United States after skin cancer: one in nine men will be diagnosed with the disease during his lifetime, according to the Prostate Cancer Foundation. To encourage men to be more aware of their risk for the disease, September is designated as Prostate Cancer Awareness Month.
“Prostate cancer almost always has no symptoms until it is in advanced stages, at which point it is more difficult to treat,” Eric Kauffman, MD, assistant professor of oncology at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, told Healio Internal Medicine. “This is why routine screening for prostate cancer with a doctor is so important, so it can be detected and treated at an early curable stage.”
When detected early, prostate cancer is 100% curable, according to the Prostate Cancer Foundation.
Men can be screened with a blood test known as the PSA test, according to the CDC, though other modalities are in development that have shown promising results. A PSA test can result in a false positive which may lead to unnecessary additional tests, according to the CDC. A recent study found that a new blood test was more accurate than PSA screening for identifying patients with high-risk prostate cancer.
The CDC recommended that physicians consider whether a patient has an increased risk for prostate cancer and weigh the benefits and harms of screening when deciding to screen a patient.
“Symptoms in later cancer stages include blood in the urine, bone pain that is generally away from the joints, unexplained fractures and neurologic symptoms,” Kauffman said.
Black men have a higher risk for prostate cancer and are more than two times as likely to die from the disease than white men, according to the American Cancer Society. The society noted that older men are also more susceptible to developing prostate cancer, with odds increasing rapidly after age 50 years.
Additional risk factors include certain inherited gene mutations and a family history of prostate cancer, particularly in a first-degree relative, Kauffman said.
“Causes of prostate cancer are largely unknown but likely include both environmental carcinogenic exposures and inherited genetic mutations,” he said.
Unfortunately, there are no known ways to prevent prostate cancer, but prevention methods are currently under investigation, according to Kauffman.
“Treatment options for prostate cancer diagnosed at an early stage include surgical removal of the prostate with radical prostatectomy, or radiation treatment using either conventional external beam radiation or brachytherapy, aka ‘seed’ implants,” he said. “The surgery is most often performed with robotic assistance.”
In recognition of Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, Healio Internal Medicine compiled a list of popular news articles regarding recent advancements in prostate cancer research. – by Alaina Tedesco
Blood test superior to PSA for detecting high-grade prostate cancer
A novel blood test was more accurate than PSA screening for identifying patients with high-risk prostate cancer, according to findings presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Urological Association. Read more.
Little evidence supports digital rectal exams for prostate cancer screening
The quality of evidence to support the use of digital rectal exams for prostate cancer screenings in primary care setting was “very low,” according to a systematic review and meta-analysis recently published in the Annals of Family Medicine. Read more.
Prostate, lung cancer most common cancers in HIV patients by 2030
Among aging individuals with HIV, prostate and lung cancers are expected to emerge as the most common cancer types by 2030, according to new research published in Annals of Internal Medicine. Read more.
Single prostate cancer screening test offers no benefit
Men who underwent a single PSA testing for prostate cancer screening had mortality rates that closely aligned with those patients who did not get screened at all, according to findings recently published in JAMA. Read more.
Less frequent biopsies needed for men with low-risk prostate cancer undergoing active surveillance
For men undergoing active surveillance for low-risk prostate cancer, biennial biopsies may be a viable alternative to annual biopsies, according to new research published in Annals of Internal Medicine. Read more.
New tool has ‘tremendous potential’ in predicting prostate cancer risk
A new genetic tool, the polygenic hazard score, was recently described in BMJ as a “highly significant predictor” of age of onset of aggressive prostate cancer. Read more.
Studies of immunotherapy for prostate cancer yield encouraging results
Several studies designed to investigate immunotherapies and immunotherapeutic combinations for treatment of prostate cancer have yielded encouraging results. Read more.
Disclosure: Kauffman reports no relevant financial disclosures.