title: Prostate cancer facts and fiction.
abstract: 1. The observed increase in prostate cancer incidence followed by a decrease, was not an epidemic, but the result of generalized prostate cancer screening in the United States. 2. The increase showed a shift in stage, to mainly early disease in grade 2 (Gleason's 4-6) clinically significant cancers with a decrease in advanced disease. 3. There was an increase in the use of radical prostatectomy, mainly in men 40 to 75 years of age with a 10-year relative survival rate of 100%. It appears that 15% were grade 1 cancers and in the absence of more information may have been clinically unimportant. 4. There was a 20% increase in the overall relative survival rate for prostate cancer. 5. There was a decrease in the incidence of advanced disease followed by a 6.3% decrease in the United States mortality rate for prostate cancer. 6. It appears that an annual PSA blood test and a DRE on all men over 50 years of age followed by appropriate treatment has decreased deaths from prostate cancer.
authors.forename: C R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Smart
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001706:Biopsy; D002423:Cause of Death; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011467:Prostate / Q000473:pathology; D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen / Q000097:blood; D011468:Prostatectomy; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy; D015996:Survival Rate; D014798:Vital Statistics
chemical_list: D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen