Prostate cancer: Could a single blood test replace TRUS for predicting prostate cancer risk?

摘要

Previous studies have shown that a statistical model based on a panel of kallikrein markers in the blood (including total, free, and intact PSA, as well as kallikrein-related peptidase 2) can predict prostate cancer on biopsy. This panel could be a valid alternative for clinical measures such as digital rectal examination (DRE) and transrectal ultrasonography (TRUS), according to a new study performed by collaborators from the USA, the Netherlands, Sweden, Finland, and the UK.Carlsson et al. evaluated previously unscreened men in the Rotterdam arm (n = 2914) and the Goteborg arm (n = 740) of the European Randomized Study of Screening for Prostate Cancer (ERSPC) who underwent sextant biopsy in response to elevated serum PSA levels (>3 ng/ml). A statistical model based on kallikrein markers was compared with a model based on clinical tests, including DRE and TRUS.