Is prostate cancer screening justified in the Bedouin population?
BACKGROUND
The aim of the study was to investigate whether the awareness of prostate cancer among Bedouin men is low or whether the incidence of prostate cancer is truly low among the Bedouin population.


METHODS
Total prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels were measured in 206 men aged > or =50 out of 1,221 male inhabitants of a geographically defined population from the Negev desert surrounding Beer Sheva.


RESULTS
The average PSA level was 1.67 ng/ml (range 0.07-22.1). Abnormal PSA levels were present in 13 out of 206 subjects. Only 10 of these agreed to have trans-rectal ultrasound (TRUS) and biopsy, 3 subjects refused further investigation by digital rectal examination (DRE) and TRUS. The average number of biopsies was 8 (range 6-10). Prostate cancer was not confirmed. The histological diagnosis was benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) or chronic inflammation.


CONCLUSIONS
The Bedouin men from a geographically defined population from the Negev desert surrounding Beer Sheva have low PSA serum concentration. The incidence rate of prostate cancer is very low and screening is unjustified in the asymptomatic Bedouin population.
Abdallah
Mashal
M
Department of Oncology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Soroka University Medical Center, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel.
Lazarev
Irina
I
Ariad
Samuel
S
Mermershtain
Wilmosh
W
D000368:Aged; D018912:Arabs / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D007557:Israel / Q000208:ethnology; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000097:blood*; D015995:Prevalence; D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen / Q000097:blood*; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D018570:Risk Assessment / Q000379:methods; D012307:Risk Factors; D014600:Utilization Review
D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen