Use of bone scan during initial prostate cancer workup, downstream procedures, and associated Medicare costs.

ABSTRACT:

Purpose

For patients with a high likelihood of having metastatic disease (high-risk prostate cancer), bone scan is the standard, guideline-recommended test to look for bony metastasis. We quantified the use of bone scans and downstream procedures, along with associated costs, in patients with high-risk prostate cancer, and their use in low- and intermediate-risk patients for whom these tests are not recommended.

Methods and materials

Patients in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER)-Medicare database diagnosed with prostate cancer from 2004 to 2007 were included. Prostate specific antigen (PSA), Gleason score, and clinical T stage were used to define D'Amico risk categories. We report use of bone scans from the date of diagnosis to the earlier of treatment o

SUBMITTER: Falchook AD 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5842944 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature