PSA levels and cancer detection rate by centre in the European Randomized Study of Screening for Prostate Cancer.
BACKGROUND
To describe the variation in PSA level by age group and screening round in the ERSPC centres and the variation in cancer detection rates in relation to the underlying prostate cancer incidence.


METHODS
Individual data on men invited for the first and second screening rounds according to protocol (excluding early recalls and interval cancers) were obtained from the central database of the ERSPC (cut-off date 31st December 2006). Data were compared between and within centres for the core age group (55-69 at entry). The cancer detection rate (CDR) was compared with the expected background prostate cancer incidence rate in the absence of screening adjusted for the incidence rate in non-attenders and the control arm (IRS).


RESULTS
Mean PSA values in the age groups 55-59 years and 65-69 years showed little variation by centre, except for the Dutch centre, where an increase from 1.6 to 1.8 ng/ml and a decline from 2.9 to 2.5ng/ml was observed, respectively. Most tumours were detected at the PSA range 4.0-9.9 ng/ml, with a shift to more cancer detection at 3.0-3.9 ng/ml in the second screening round. There was high variability in the CDR between the centres in both the first (16-46 per 1000) and the second screening rounds (14-50 per 1000). Although the ratio CDR/IRS was less variable, it is somewhat lower in Italy and Switzerland (12 and 14,respectively) and higher in the Netherlands (28), than in most other centres and in Belgium the ratio increased markedly, from 20 to 44 between the first and second rounds.


CONCLUSIONS
There was no clear evidence of a relationship between the underlying incidence and mean PSA levels at screening or the cancer detection rate.
Department of Public Health, Erasmus MC, University Medical Centre Rotterdam, P.O. Box 2040, 3000 CA Rotterdam, The Netherlands. s.otto@erasmusmc.nl
S J
SJ
Otto
S M
SM
Moss
L
L
Määttänen
M
M
Roobol
M
M
Zappa
V
V
Nelen
M
M
Kwiatkowski
A
A
Villers
J
J
Hugosson
A Berenguer
AB
Sanchez
H J
HJ
de Koning
D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D001706:Biopsy / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D055088:Early Detection of Cancer / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards; D005060:Europe; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015337:Multicenter Studies as Topic; D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen / Q000097:blood*; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D012017:Referral and Consultation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D018401:Sample Size; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen