Prostate cancer incidence and mortality in the Spanish section of the European Randomized Study of Screening For Prostate Cancer (ERSPC)

Abstract

The objective of this study is to present the long-term results of a prostate cancer (PC) screening trial conducted in a Mediterranean setting. A total of 4276 men aged 45–70 years were randomized to screening arm (PSA test performed) and control arm (no tests). Transrectal ultrasonography-guided sextant prostate biopsy was conducted when PSAgreater than or equal to3 ng ml−1. Date and cause of death were retrieved from death certificates. PC incidence, and disease-specific and overall mortality curves were plotted and comparison between arms was made. Analysis of causes of death was also performed. Our study failed to demonstrate benefits of PC screening in terms of all-cause and PC-specific mortality after a median follow-up of 15 years. The limited sample size and the low long-term PC mortality observed in our setting were probably the most important factors to explain these results.