Prostatic Cancer: Hospital-Based Prostate Specific Antigen Screening

T he utili ty of total prostate specific antigen (PSA) measurements in the follow-up of prostate cancer patients t reated with surgery, hormonal or chemotherapy is well established (1,2). In 1993, PSA originally described as being organ-specific, was approved as a screening marker for prostatic cancer by the American Food and Drug Administration. The combination of PSA concentration, digital rectal examination (DRE), and ultrasonography followed by biopsy in case of suspicion, represents the standard in the detection of prostate cancer at present. The exclusive use of PSA serum levels as a first line screening remains controversial (3). In this retrospective study, our aim was to investigate the number of prostatic cancers detected in our hospital, by analyzing a single PSA concentration in unselected hospitalized and ambulant patients, in order to check the usefulness and the consequences of hospital-based PSA screening.