Incidence of advanced prostate cancer skyrockets

Editor's Note

The number of new cases of men with metastatic prostate cancer in the US has increased 72% in the past decade, this study finds.

The largest jump was in men aged 55 to 69 years (92% increase), the age group who benefits the most from prostate cancer screening and early treatment.

The increase could be because the disease is becoming more aggressive or because there is less screening being done, the authors say.

Statistics show that fewer men are being screened, the probable consequence of a 2012 recommendation by the US Preventive Services Task Force that men should not be screened for prostate-specific antigen, a protein produced by cells of the prostate gland that is often elevated in men with prostate cancer.

The results highlight the continued need for nationwide refinements in prostate cancer screening treatment.

1Department of Urology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA 2Section of Urology, Department of Surgery, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA Correspondence: Dr EM Schaeffer, Department of Urology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, 393 East Chicago Avenue, Tarry Building 16-713, Chicago, IL 60611, USA.