BJU Int. 2007; published online ahead of print
PSA density is an independent determinant of PSA velocity in untreated localized prostate cancer, a study in the UK concluded.
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Chris Parker, MD, and his colleagues at the Royal Marsden Hospital in Surrey, studied 237 men with localized prostate tumors being managed with active surveillance. They were followed for a median of 24 months. The patients had a median age of 67 years and their median initial PSA level was 6.5 ng/mL. Their median pretreatment PSA velocity was 0.44 ng/mL per year.
PSA density was the only significant determinant of PSA velocity. Patients with a PSA density above the median had a median PSA velocity of 0.92 ng/mL per year; those with a PSA density below the median had a PSA velocity of 0.35 ng/mL per year.
“Subject to validation in prospective studies, PSA density could be used to inform the often difficult choice between active surveillance and immediate radical treatment,” the authors wrote.
The study is the first to show that PSA density is an independent determinant of PSA velocity, the researchers noted.
