Probability of an abnormal screening prostate-specific antigen result based on age, race, and prostate-specific antigen threshold.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

To determine the distribution of screening prostate-specific antigen (PSA) values in older men, and how different PSA thresholds affect the proportion of white, black, and Latino men who would have an abnormal screening result across advancing age groups.

Methods

We used linked national Veterans Affairs and Medicare data to determine the value of the first screening PSA test (ng/mL) of 327,284 men older than 65 years who underwent PSA screening in the Veterans Affairs health care system in 2003. We calculated the proportion of men with an abnormal PSA result based on age, race, and common PSA thresholds.

Results

Among men older than 65 years, 8.4% had a PSA >4.0 ng/mL. The percentage of men with a PSA >4.0 ng/mL increased with age and was highest in black me

SUBMITTER: Espaldon R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3943595 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature