THE PRESENT STATUS, PROBLEMS, AND FUTURE OF MASS SCREENING FOR PROSTATE CANCER IN GUNMA PREFECTURE

-THE REPORT OF MASS SCREENING FOR PROSTATE CANCER STUDY MEETING IN 1998-

Abstract

The number of detected cases of prostate cancer has increased 7-fold in 16 years, and 60% of the prostate cancer detected by mass screening was early stage. The detection reliability improved due to prostate specific antigen (PSA) and a new biopsy method from 1992. Serum levels of PSA should be measured using kits that recognize the free and complex types of PSA completely equimolarly. We also use other detection methods such as age-specific PSA, PSA density, and PSA velocity. Presently, 70% of autonomies have adopted mass screening by the measurement of PSA only. An important problem is that 14% (43 of 303) of prostate cancer cases has a negative PSA measurement, while only 2% (6 of 303) of prostate cancer cases has bone metastasis. A mass screening method which measures PSA only is more tolerable than digital rectal examination or transrectal ultrasonography. We believe that more prostate cancer cases will be detected as the number of subjects who receive PSA screening increases.