Dataset Information

General practitioner perception of prostate-specific antigen testing has improved, but more awareness of prostate cancer risk in younger patients is still awaited.

ABSTRACT:

Background

In 2006, a county-wide survey of general practitioners (GPs) in the United Kingdom (UK) identified a reluctance to refer younger men with abnormal prostate specific antigen (PSA) levels. Younger men have the most to gain from early-detection of prostate cancer (PCa), which remains a national government priority in the UK and around the world. We sought to assess changes in perception of abnormal PSA-values amongst UK GPs over the past 10 years.

Materials and methods

A total of 500 self-administered paper questionnaires were distributed to individually named GPs. One hundred and forty two responded (28.4%), representing a patient population of ?600,000. A series of visual analogue questions assessed referral thresholds and understanding of risk factors related to the development of PCa.

Results

GPs with a median of 23-years experience responded. Although mean PSA threshold for referral to urology did fall between 2006 and 2016 in both the 45-year (5.42 ng/mL vs. 4.61 ng/mL P = 0.0003) and 55-year (5.81 ng/mL vs. 5.30 ng/mL P = 0.0164) age groups, the median referral values were unchanged. Significantly, referral thresholds quoted for younger men (<65 years) were considerably higher than recommended UK maximum PSA-levels. Using case-based scenarios, practitioners appeared more likely to refer older men with abnormal PSA values, with GPs reporting an average 56.2% likelihood of referring an asymptomatic 55-year-old with elevated age-adjusted PSA of 4.6 ng/mL. A total of 95.1% recognised a family history of PCa to be a potential risk factor but other at-risk categories were not so clearly understood.

Conclusion

Awareness of abnormal PSA values in UK primary care is improving, but continues to lag behind the evidence. Strategies to disseminate knowledge of maximum PSA-values to GPs should focus especially on those for younger patients.

SUBMITTER: Thurtle DR

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6004706 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

General practitioner perception of prostate-specific antigen testing has improved, but more awareness of prostate cancer risk in younger patients is still awaited.

Thurtle David R DR Gordon Emma M EM Brierly Robert D RD Conway Ciaran J CJ McLoughlin John J

Prostate international 20171014 2

<h4>Background</h4>In 2006, a county-wide survey of general practitioners (GPs) in the United Kingdom (UK) identified a reluctance to refer younger men with abnormal prostate specific antigen (PSA) levels. Younger men have the most to gain from early-detection of prostate cancer (PCa), which remains a national government priority in the UK and around the world. We sought to assess changes in perception of abnormal PSA-values amongst UK GPs over the past 10 years.<h4>Materials and methods</h4>A t ...[more]

PMID: 29922634

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Dataset Information

General practitioner perception of prostate-specific antigen testing has improved, but more awareness of prostate cancer risk in younger patients is still awaited.

Background

Materials and methods

Results

Conclusion

Publications

General practitioner perception of prostate-specific antigen testing has improved, but more awareness of prostate cancer risk in younger patients is still awaited.

Similar Datasets

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