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(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- The standard test to detect prostate cancer may now be the same test used to predict survival in patients with an advanced form of the disease.
Researchers from the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center in Ann Arbor used PSA testing to predict a man's survival after hormone treatment.
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The 1,345 men in the study all had undergone seven months of androgen deprivation therapy as a treatment for their cancer. The treatment is designed to block the effects of the hormone on the cancer. All patients also had cancer that had spread to distant parts of the body.
PSA, or prostate specific antigen, is a protein produced by the prostate. The test measures the level of PSA in the blood. In the past, levels above four were considered to be a strong predictor of cancer, but recently doctors have learned men with levels even lower than that may still have cancer.
During the course of treatment, the men had their PSA levels checked. Researchers found the men who had levels lower than four after seven months of treatment had one quarter the risk of dying as compared to men whose levels remained above four. Of the men whose levels dropped below four but stayed above 0.2, the average survival was 44 months. The 43 percent whose levels dropped to the point they were undetectable lived an average of 75 months.
This test, say researchers, is a useful tool in predicting survival due to the ease of use. They believe this method of testing could help patients avoid continuing treatment unnecessarily if it is not proving beneficial.
This article was reported by Ivanhoe.com, who offers Medical Alerts by e-mail every day of the week. To subscribe, go to: http://www.ivanhoe.com/newsalert/.
SOURCE: Journal of Clinical Oncology, 2006;24:3984-3990
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