Skip to main content

Lund University Publications

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

Rationale for randomised trials of prostate cancer screening

Alexander, F. E. (1999) In European Journal of Cancer 35(2). p.262-271
Abstract

Screening for prostate cancer has been advocated by a number of organisations largely because there is good evidence that administration of the test for prostate specific antigen (PSA) results in the detection of cancers at an early stage. However, the mere fact that a cancer can be detected earlier in its natural history by screening is no guarantee that benefit will follow. Further, screening for prostate cancer can substantially impair the quality of life of those with detected and treated cancer, that would not otherwise have reduced life expectancy. The only established mechanism to evaluate the efficacy of screening is the randomised controlled trial. In this paper we review the trials contributing to our collaboration, the... (More)

Screening for prostate cancer has been advocated by a number of organisations largely because there is good evidence that administration of the test for prostate specific antigen (PSA) results in the detection of cancers at an early stage. However, the mere fact that a cancer can be detected earlier in its natural history by screening is no guarantee that benefit will follow. Further, screening for prostate cancer can substantially impair the quality of life of those with detected and treated cancer, that would not otherwise have reduced life expectancy. The only established mechanism to evaluate the efficacy of screening is the randomised controlled trial. In this paper we review the trials contributing to our collaboration, the advantages that will flow from them, and the reasons why decisions on the introduction of population-based screening for prostate cancer cannot be made before these trials have come to fruition.

(Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
contributor
LU orcid
author collaboration
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Prostate cancer, Prostate specific antigen (PSA), Randomised controlled trials, Screening
in
European Journal of Cancer
volume
35
issue
2
pages
262 - 271
publisher
Elsevier
external identifiers
  • pmid:10448269
  • scopus:0033083961
ISSN
0959-8049
DOI
10.1016/S0959-8049(98)00379-7
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
f48ddfac-c8ed-4583-be57-4818c1f07254
date added to LUP
2023-02-10 11:07:03
date last changed
2024-05-30 04:08:59
@article{f48ddfac-c8ed-4583-be57-4818c1f07254,
  abstract     = {{<p>Screening for prostate cancer has been advocated by a number of organisations largely because there is good evidence that administration of the test for prostate specific antigen (PSA) results in the detection of cancers at an early stage. However, the mere fact that a cancer can be detected earlier in its natural history by screening is no guarantee that benefit will follow. Further, screening for prostate cancer can substantially impair the quality of life of those with detected and treated cancer, that would not otherwise have reduced life expectancy. The only established mechanism to evaluate the efficacy of screening is the randomised controlled trial. In this paper we review the trials contributing to our collaboration, the advantages that will flow from them, and the reasons why decisions on the introduction of population-based screening for prostate cancer cannot be made before these trials have come to fruition.</p>}},
  author       = {{Alexander, F. E.}},
  issn         = {{0959-8049}},
  keywords     = {{Prostate cancer; Prostate specific antigen (PSA); Randomised controlled trials; Screening}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{2}},
  pages        = {{262--271}},
  publisher    = {{Elsevier}},
  series       = {{European Journal of Cancer}},
  title        = {{Rationale for randomised trials of prostate cancer screening}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0959-8049(98)00379-7}},
  doi          = {{10.1016/S0959-8049(98)00379-7}},
  volume       = {{35}},
  year         = {{1999}},
}