PSA Screening Cuts Deaths by 20%, Says World’s Largest Prostate Cancer Study

STOCKHOLM, Sweden - Attn: Healthcare Editors

Screening for prostate cancer can reduce deaths by 20%, according to the
results of the European Randomized Study of Screening for Prostate Cancer
(ERSPC) published online 1700 hours CET 18 March (NEJM, Online First*). ERSPC
is the world’s largest prostate cancer screening study and provides robust,
independently- audited evidence, for the first time, of the effect of
screening on prostate cancer mortality.

The study commenced in the early 1990s involving eight countries -
Belgium, Finland, France, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland -
with an overall follow-up of up to 12 years. Participants totalled 182,000
but then narrowed down to 162,000 men in seven countries, aged 55-69; only
those who had not been screened could take part. The findings are being
unveiled at the annual European Urology Congress in Stockholm, Sweden (17 -
21 March 2009).

By initially screening men 55 to 69 years with the PSA marker and
offering regular follow up, this led to an increase in early detection.
Deaths due to metastasized disease were then reduced. Exact data showed that
on average for every 1,408 men screened, 48 had cancer diagnosed and received
treatment, resulting in saving one life. Screening took place on average
every four years with a mean follow-up over nine years. The cut-off value was
a PSA level of 3.0 ng/ml or more. Men with this reading were then offered a
biopsy.

Prof Fritz Schroder, international coordinator of the ERSPC study
explained: “The study shows that PSA screening delivers a 20% reduction in
mortality from prostate cancer. This provides decision makers on screening
policies with important new data on the effectiveness of PSA testing in
preventing deaths.

“However, The ERSPC is also near to completing additional studies on
quality of life and cost-effectiveness and these must be assessed before
making a decision about the appropriateness of a national prostate screening
policy.”

Worldwide, prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death.
Separate ERSPC findings already confirm that approximately 30% of detected
cancers actually have non-aggressive features and are ‘indolent’ or slow
growing. This overdiagnosis is an unavoidable effect from all cancer
screening procedures. With prostate cancer, a new, more conservative form of
monitoring, ‘Active Surveillance’, might be an important method to help avoid
early invasive treatment (www.erspc.org).

*content.nejm.org/cgi/content/full/NEJMoa0810084

Source: ERSPC (European Randomized Study of Screening for Prostate Cancer)

Contact: Jennie Wilde +44(0)20-3178-5563,+44-7799-412230, jennie at carverwilde.com