Adherence to an annual PSA screening program over 3 years for brothers and sons of men with prostate cancer.
OBJECTIVE
To assess the adherence to an annual PSA screening program conducted over 3 years in first-degree relatives of a sample of men with prostate cancer, and to identify characteristics of men who failed to undergo the full screening process.


METHODS
Out of 747 candidates that were eligible for the screening program (asymptomatic brothers and sons aged between 40 and 70 years of men diagnosed with prostate cancer) 640 were contacted. The screening program entailed annual serum PSA testing over a 3-year period, during which every candidates attendance was recorded. At the outset, each candidate was requested to complete a questionnaire regarding their socio-professional characteristics, their level of anxiety and their attitude towards genetic susceptibility.


RESULTS
442 (69%) candidates agreed to enter the study and 420 filled out the questionnaire. During the 3-year period, 50 candidates (12%) who had accepted the first year screening refused to undergo subsequent PSA tests. These men were younger ( p=0.015), more anxious (p=0.037 ) and to have more than one affected first-degree relative ( p=0.028 ).


CONCLUSIONS
The crucial and challenging step in the adherence to a screening program was the initial recruitment. Once recruited, adherence rate after 3 years was very high (88%). Identifying factors that help predict men who might leave the screening process may provide us means of improving their compliance in the future.
Roumier
Xavier
X
Departement of Urology, Teaching Hospital of Lyon Sud, Pierre Benite, France.
Azzouzi
Rahmene
R
Valéri
Antoine
A
Guillemin
Francis
F
Fournier
Georges
G
Cussenot
Olivier
O
Mangin
Philippe
P
Cormier
Luc
L
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D005190:Family; D005602:France; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening; D008875:Middle Aged; D010349:Patient Compliance; D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen / Q000097:blood*; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000235:genetics / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen