Prostate Cancer Screening Efficacy in African-Americans Using Case- Control Methodology

摘要

The purpose of this project was to conduct a pilot study that would generate supporting information regarding medical record documentation of genito-urinary symptoms for a population-based case-control study of PSA screening for prostate cancer in African Americans. The lack of symptoms documented in the patient's medical record was to be used as evidence that PSA was intended as a screening examination. The database of patients screened with PSA at UNC Hospitals was reviewed and we began a preparatory analysis of available patients. We identified the number of patients to be abstracted and generated a report detailing patient name, date of test, test value, and the patient's medical record number through the collaboration of UNC Hospitals and the UNG School of Medicine Office of Information Services. We had numerous consultations with a biostatistician regarding appropriate statistical techniques to compare blinded coding of PSA test (diagnostic vs. screening) with the intentions of the ordering physician. Although UNG's Institutional Review Board approved the pilot study on January 11, 1999 after acknowledging the minimal risk associated with the project, we were unable to execute the pilot due to the six month time constraint and lack of approval from the Army's Human Subjects Research Review Board. In the future, we do plan to conduct the study and use the results as support for a case- control screening proposal with the collaborative efforts of Dr. Noel Weiss.