| 1. |
- Sävblom, Charlotta, et al.
(author)
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Genetic variation in KLK2 and KLK3 is associated with concentrations of hK2 and PSA in serum and seminal plasma in young men
- 2014
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In: Clinical Chemistry. - : American Association for Clinical Chemistry. - 0009-9147 .- 1530-8561. ; 60:3, s. 490-499
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- BACKGROUND: Genetic variants in KLK2 and KLK3 have been associated with increased serum concentrations of their encoded proteins, human kallikrein-related peptidase 2 (hK2) and prostate-specific antigen (PSA), and with prostate cancer in older men. Low PSA concentrations in seminal plasma (SP) have been associated with low sperm motility. To evaluate whether KLK2 and KLK3 genetic variants affect physiological prostatic secretion, we studied the association of SNPs with hK2 and PSA concentrations in SP and serum of young, healthy men.METHODS: Leukocyte DNA was extracted from 303 male military conscripts (median age 18.1 years). Nine SNPs across KLK2-KLK3 were genotyped. We measured PSA and hK2 in SP and serum using immunofluorometric assays. The association of genotype frequencies with hK2 and PSA concentrations was tested with the Kruskal-Wallis test.RESULTS: Four KLK2 SNPs (rs198972, rs198977, rs198978, and rs80050017) were strongly associated with hK2 concentrations in SP and serum, with individuals homozygous for the major alleles having 3- to 7-fold higher concentrations than the intermediate concentrations found in other homozygotes and heterozygotes (all P < 0.001). Three of these SNPs were significantly associated with percentage of free PSA (%fPSA) in serum (all P < 0.007). Three KLK3 SNPs showed associations with PSA in SP, and the rs1058205 SNP was associated with total PSA in serum (P = 0.001) and %fPSA (P = 0.015).CONCLUSIONS: Associations observed in young, healthy men between the SP and serum concentrations of hK2 and PSA and several genetic variants in KLK2 and KLK3 could be useful to refine models of PSA cutoff values in prostate cancer testing.
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| 2. |
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| 3. |
- Darst, Burcu F., et al.
(author)
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The Four-Kallikrein Panel Is Effective in Identifying Aggressive Prostate Cancer in a Multiethnic Population
- 2020
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In: Cancer epidemiology, biomarkers & prevention : a publication of the American Association for Cancer Research, cosponsored by the American Society of Preventive Oncology. - 1538-7755. ; 29:7, s. 1381-1388
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- BACKGROUND: The four-kallikrein (4K) panel has been demonstrated to improve prediction of aggressive prostate cancer compared with prostate-specific antigen (PSA) among men with moderately elevated PSA levels. However, the development and testing of the 4K panel has been conducted primarily in White men, with limited data in African Americans and no studies in other racial and ethnic groups. METHODS: We evaluated the 4K panel in a nested case-control study among African American, Latino, Japanese, Native Hawaiian, and White men in the Multiethnic Cohort. Prediagnostic blood levels of free, intact, and total PSA and human kallikrein-related peptidase 2 were measured among 1,667 incident prostate cancer cases and 691 controls with PSA ≥2 ng/mL. We evaluated the discriminative ability of the 4K panel within and across all racial/ethnic groups. RESULTS: The 4K panel enhanced discrimination of overall prostate cancer compared with free plus total PSA and total PSA alone (AUC 0.748 vs. 0.711 and 0.669, respectively). Discrimination was further enhanced for Gleason 8+ prostate cancer, aggressive prostate cancer, and death due to prostate cancer, and to a lesser degree for nonaggressive prostate cancer. Improvement of the 4K panel over PSA was observed in each population. Adding a prostate cancer polygenic risk score slightly improved upon the discriminative ability of the 4K panel. CONCLUSIONS: The superior discriminative ability of the 4K panel over PSA for overall and aggressive prostate cancer across multiethnic populations indicates the broad clinical applicability of the 4K panel. IMPACT: Our multiethnic investigation suggests potential for the 4K panel to improve current prostate cancer screening practices.
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| 4. |
- Gaffney, Christopher D., et al.
(author)
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A brief mind-body intervention to reduce pain and anxiety during prostate needle biopsy: a clinically integrated randomized controlled trial with 2-staged consent
- 2023
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In: Urologic Oncology: Seminars and Original Investigations. - 1078-1439 .- 1873-2496. ; 41:12
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Objectives: Many patients experience pain, anxiety, and discomfort with prostate biopsy, which may discourage enrollment in active surveillance programs or follow-up biopsy. Guided meditation can significantly reduce pain and anxiety during percutaneous biopsy. We sought to evaluate the effectiveness of a brief mind-body intervention on patient-reported outcomes after prostate biopsy. Methods and materials: We performed a clinically-integrated randomized controlled trial of a brief mind-body intervention during biopsy compared to usual care at a single tertiary care center from 2018 to 2022. All patients offered transrectal ultrasound-guided prostate biopsy in the clinic with local anesthesia were eligible for enrollment. This clinically integrated trial was conducted simultaneously with a randomized controlled trial of 1-stage and 2-stage consent. The primary outcome was patient-reported pain, anxiety, discomfort, and tolerability on a visual-analog scale (0–10). A 15% improvement was prespecified as clinically relevant. We compared the proportion of men in each arm reporting a severe score (7–10) on any of the 4 scales using Fisher's exact test and then compared means for each scale separately using ANCOVA with randomization stratum (first vs. prior biopsy) as a covariate. Results: Of 263 eligible patients, 238 enrolled (119 per arm). One hundred seventy-two (72%) enrolled with 2-stage consent. A total of 37/94 (39%) and 38/102 (37%) patients randomized to usual care and intervention, respectively, reported severe scores in any of the 4 domains, a difference of 2.1% (95% confidence interval [CI] -13, 17%, P = 0.8). There was no evidence of a difference in mean postbiopsy anxiety (P = 0.3), discomfort (P = 0.09), pain (P = 0.4) or tolerability scores (P = 0.2). Conclusions: A clinically meaningful benefit for this brief mind-body intervention during prostate biopsy is unlikely. Robust patient enrollment is feasible using 2-stage consent.
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| 5. |
- Klein, Robert J., et al.
(author)
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Prostate cancer polygenic risk score and prediction of lethal prostate cancer
- 2022
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In: npj Precision Oncology. - : Nature Publishing Group. - 2397-768X. ; 6:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Polygenic risk scores (PRS) for prostate cancer incidence have been proposed to optimize prostate cancer screening. Prediction of lethal prostate cancer is key to any stratified screening program to avoid excessive overdiagnosis. Herein, PRS for incident prostate cancer was evaluated in two population-based cohorts of unscreened middle-aged men linked to cancer and death registries: the Västerbotten Intervention Project (VIP) and the Malmö Diet and Cancer study (MDC). SNP genotypes were measured by genome-wide SNP genotyping by array followed by imputation or genotyping of selected SNPs using mass spectrometry. The ability of PRS to predict lethal prostate cancer was compared to PSA and a commercialized pre-specified model based on four kallikrein markers. The PRS was associated with incident prostate cancer, replicating previously reported relative risks, and was also associated with prostate cancer death. However, unlike PSA, the PRS did not show stronger association with lethal disease: the hazard ratio for prostate cancer incidence vs. prostate cancer metastasis and death was 1.69 vs. 1.65 in VIP and 1.25 vs. 1.25 in MDC. PSA was a much stronger predictor of prostate cancer metastasis or death with an area-under-the-curve of 0.78 versus 0.63 for the PRS. Importantly, addition of PRS to PSA did not contribute additional risk stratification for lethal prostate cancer. We have shown that a PRS that predicts prostate cancer incidence does not have utility above and beyond that of PSA measured at baseline when applied to the clinically relevant endpoint of prostate cancer death. These findings have implications for public health policies for delivery of prostate cancer screening. Focusing polygenic risk scores on clinically significant endpoints such as prostate cancer metastasis or death would likely improve clinical utility.
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| 6. |
- Li, Weiqiang, et al.
(author)
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Genome-wide association study identifies novel single nucleotide polymorphisms having age-specific effect on prostate-specific antigen levels
- 2020
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In: Prostate. - : Wiley. - 0270-4137. ; 80:16, s. 1405-1412
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: Testing for prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels in blood are widely used and associated with prostate cancer risk and outcome. After puberty, PSA levels increase by age and multiple single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have been found to be associated with PSA levels. However, the relationship between the effects of SNPs and age on PSA remains unknown. Methods: To test for SNP × age interaction, we conducted a genome-wide association study using 2394 men without prostate cancer diagnosis from Malmö, Sweden as a discovery set and 2137 men from the eMERGE study (USA) for validation. Linear regression was used to identify significant interactions between SNP and age (p < 1 × 10−4 for discovery, p <.05 for validation). Results: The 15 SNPs from three different loci (8p11.22, 8p12, 3q25.31) are found to have age-specific effect on PSA levels. Expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs) analysis shows that 12 SNPs from 3q25.31 locus affect the expression level of three genes: KCNAB1, SLC33A1, PLCH1. Conclusions: Our results suggest that SNPs may have age-specific effect on PSA levels, which provides new direction to study genetic markers for PSA.
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| 7. |
- Li, Weiqiang, et al.
(author)
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Genome-wide Scan Identifies Role for AOX1 in Prostate Cancer Survival
- 2018
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In: European Urology. - : Elsevier BV. - 0302-2838 .- 1873-7560. ; 74:6, s. 710-719
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We performed genome-wide association studies and found single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) at seven independent loci associated with prostate-cancer-specific survival time. Two SNPs replicated in an independent cohort. The SNP rs73055188 at AOX1 is associated with AOX1 gene expression level, which is correlated with biochemical recurrence.
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| 8. |
- Lonergan, Peter E., et al.
(author)
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Prospective validation of microseminoprotein-β added to the 4Kscore in predicting high-grade prostate cancer in an international multicentre cohort
- 2021
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In: BJU International. - : Wiley. - 1464-4096 .- 1464-410X. ; 128:2, s. 218-224
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Objectives: To prospectively evaluate the performance of a pre-specified statistical model based on four kallikrein markers in blood (total prostate-specific antigen [PSA], free PSA, intact PSA, and human kallikrein-related peptidase 2), commercially available as the 4Kscore, in predicting Gleason Grade Group (GG) ≥2 prostate cancer at biopsy in an international multicentre study at three academic medical centres, and whether microseminoprotein-β (MSP) adds predictive value. Patients and Methods: A total of 984 men were prospectively enrolled at three academic centres. The primary outcome was GG ≥2 on prostate biopsy. Three pre-specified statistical models were used: a base model including PSA, age, digital rectal examination and prior negative biopsy; a model that added free PSA to the base model; and the 4Kscore. Results: A total of 947 men were included in the final analysis and 273 (29%) had GG ≥2 on prostate biopsy. The base model area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.775 increased to 0.802 with the addition of free PSA, and to 0.824 for the 4Kscore. Adding MSP to the 4Kscore model yielded an increase (0.014–0.019) in discrimination. In decision-curve analysis of clinical utility, the 4Kscore showed a benefit starting at a 7.5% threshold. Conclusion: A prospective multicentre evaluation of a pre-specified model based on four kallikrein markers (4Kscore) with the addition of MSP improves the predictive discrimination for GG ≥2 prostate cancer on biopsy and could be used to inform biopsy decision-making.
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| 9. |
- Sävblom, Charlotta, et al.
(author)
-
Genetic Variation in KLK2 and KLK3 Is Associated with Concentrations of hK2 and PSA in Serum and Seminal Plasma in Young Men
- 2014
-
In: Clinical Chemistry. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0009-9147 .- 1530-8561. ; 60:3, s. 490-499
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- BACKGROUND: Genetic variants in KLK2 and KLK3 have been associated with increased serum concentrations of their encoded proteins, human kallikrein-related peptidase 2 (hK2) and prostate-specific antigen (PSA), and with prostate cancer in older men. Low PSA concentrations in seminal plasma (SP) have been associated with low sperm motility. To evaluate whether KLK2 and KLK3 genetic variants affect physiological prostatic secretion, we studied the association of SNPs with hK2 and PSA concentrations in SP and serum of young, healthy men. METHODS: Leukocyte DNA was extracted from 303 male military conscripts (median age 18.1 years). Nine SNPs across KLK2-KLK3 were genotyped. We measured PSA and hK2 in SP and serum using immunofluorometric assays. The association of genotype frequencies with hK2 and PSA concentrations was tested with the Kruskal-Wallis test. RESULTS: Four KLK2 SNPs (rs198972, rs198977, rs198978, and rs80050017) were strongly associated with hK2 concentrations in SP and serum, with individuals homozygous for the major alleles having 3-to 7-fold higher concentrations than the intermediate concentrations found in other homozygotes and heterozygotes (all P < 0.001). Three of these SNPs were significantly associated with percentage of free PSA (% fPSA) in serum (all P < 0.007). Three KLK3 SNPs showed associations with PSA in SP, and the rs1058205 SNP was associated with total PSA in serum (P = 0.001) and % fPSA (P = 0.015). CONCLUSIONS: Associations observed in young, healthy men between the SP and serum concentrations of hK2 and PSA and several genetic variants in KLK2 and KLK3 could be useful to refine models of PSA cutoff values in prostate cancer testing. (C) 2013 American Association for Clinical Chemistry
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| 10. |
- Vertosick, Emily A., et al.
(author)
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Individual Patient Data Meta-analysis of Discrimination of the Four Kallikrein Panel Associated With the Inclusion of Prostate Volume
- 2021
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In: Urology. - : Elsevier BV. - 0090-4295. ; 157, s. 102-106
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Objective: To assess whether adding prostate volume to the kallikrein panel improves discrimination for ISUP Grade Group 2 or higher (GG2+) disease, as some men may have volume measurements available at the time of blood draw. While prostate volume predicts biopsy outcome, it requires an imaging procedure for measurement. The four kallikrein panel - commercially available as the 4Kscore - predicts risk of GG2+ disease and requires only a blood draw. Materials and Methods: A total of 9131 patients with available prostate volume and total PSA ≤25 ng/ml from 5 historical (sextant biopsy, pre-ISUP 2005 grading) and 4 contemporary cohorts (10+ cores, ISUP 2005 grading). Previously published kallikrein panel models were used to predict risk of GG2+. Volume was added to the model in each cohort and change in discrimination was meta-analyzed. Results: Increased prostate volume was associated with decreased risk of GG2+ disease after controlling for the kallikrein panel in 7/9 cohorts. However, kallikrein panel discrimination (0.817, 95% CI 0.802, 0.831) was not improved after including volume (AUC difference 0.002, 95% CI -0.003, 0.006). Heterogeneity (P <.0001) was driven by an AUC increase in 1 cohort of academic cancer centers (0.044, 95% CI 0.025, 0.064), with no evidence of heterogeneity after excluding this cohort (P = .15). Conclusion: The kallikrein panel provides a non-invasive approach to assess the risk of high-grade prostate cancer. Our results do not justify the inclusion of prostate volume in the four kallikrein panel. There is some evidence that the predictive value of prostate volume is provider dependent: further research is needed to address this question. © 2021 Elsevier Inc.
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| 11. |
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| 12. |
- Vertosick, Emily A, et al.
(author)
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Prespecified Four Kallikrein Marker Model (4Kscore) at Age 50 or 60 for Early Detection of Lethal Prostate Cancer in a Large Population-Based Cohort of Asymptomatic Men Followed for 20 Years.
- 2020
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In: Journal of Urology. - : Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. - 0022-5347 .- 1527-3792. ; 204:2, s. 281-288
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Purpose: A prespecified statistical model based on 4 kallikrein markers in blood, commercially available as the 4Kscore®, has been shown to accurately detect high grade (greater than Grade Group 2) prostate cancer in men with moderately elevated prostate specific antigen. We assessed whether the model predicted prostate cancer metastasis or death in men not subject to prostate specific antigen screening.Materials and Methods: The cohort includes 43,692 unscreened prostate cancer-free men from a Swedish population based cohort with low rates of prostate specific antigen screening (Västerbotten Intervention Project). Using cryopreserved blood collected at ages 50 and 60 years from men in this cohort we analyzed the association between prostate specific antigen and other kallikrein marker levels in blood and risk of prostate cancer metastasis or death.Results: There were 308 with metastases and 172 prostate cancer deaths. Baseline prostate specific antigen was strongly associated with 20-year risk of prostate cancer death (c-index at age 50, 0.859, 95% CI 0.799–0.916; age 60, 0.840, 95% CI 0.799–0.878). Men 60 years old with prostate specific antigen below median (less than 1.2 ng/ml) had 0.4% risk of prostate cancer death at 20 years. Among men with moderately elevated prostate specific antigen (2.0 ng/ml or greater) the 4Kscore markedly improved discrimination (c-index 0.767 vs 0.828 and 0.774 vs 0.862 in men age 50 and 60, respectively). Long-term risk of prostate cancer death or metastasis in men with low 4Kscores was very low.Conclusions: Screening should focus on men in top prostate specific antigen quartile at age 60 years. Men with elevated prostate specific antigen but a low 4Kscore can safely be monitored with repeated blood markers in place of immediate biopsy.
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| 13. |
- Vertosick, Emily A., et al.
(author)
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Reply by Authors
- 2020
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In: The Journal of urology. - 1527-3792. ; 204:2, s. 287-288
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)
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| 14. |
- Vickers, Andrew J., et al.
(author)
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Empirical estimates of prostate cancer overdiagnosis by age and prostate-specific antigen
- 2014
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In: BMC Medicine. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1741-7015. ; 12
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: Prostate cancer screening depends on a careful balance of benefits, in terms of reduced prostate cancer mortality, and harms, in terms of overdiagnosis and overtreatment. We aimed to estimate the effect on overdiagnosis of restricting prostate specific antigen (PSA) testing by age and baseline PSA. Methods: Estimates of the effects of age on overdiagnosis were based on population based incidence data from the US Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results database. To investigate the relationship between PSA and overdiagnosis, we used two separate cohorts subject to PSA testing in clinical trials (n = 1,577 and n = 1,197) and a population-based cohort of Swedish men not subject to PSA-screening followed for 25 years (n = 1,162). Results: If PSA testing had been restricted to younger men, the number of excess cases associated with the introduction of PSA in the US would have been reduced by 85%, 68% and 42% for age cut-offs of 60, 65 and 70, respectively. The risk that a man with screen-detected cancer at age 60 would not subsequently lead to prostate cancer morbidity or mortality decreased exponentially as PSA approached conventional biopsy thresholds. For PSAs below 1 ng/ml, the risk of a positive biopsy is 65 (95% CI 18.2, 72.9) times greater than subsequent prostate cancer mortality. Conclusions: Prostate cancer overdiagnosis has a strong relationship to age and PSA level. Restricting screening in men over 60 to those with PSA above median (>1 ng/ml) and screening men over 70 only in selected circumstances would importantly reduce overdiagnosis and change the ratio of benefits to harms of PSA-screening.
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| 15. |
- Vickers, Andrew, et al.
(author)
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Properties of the 4-Kallikrein Panel Outside the Diagnostic Gray Zone : Meta-Analysis of Patients with Positive Digital Rectal Examination or Prostate Specific Antigen 10 ng/ml and Above
- 2017
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In: Journal of Urology. - : Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health). - 0022-5347 .- 1527-3792. ; 197, s. 607-613
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Purpose: The 4-kallikrein panel, commercially available as the 4Kscore™, is a reflex test for prostate cancer early detection that has been extensively validated in multiple international cohorts. It has been suggested that use of such reflex tests be limited to those with prostate specific antigen less than 10 ng/ml and negative digital rectal examination. We aimed to determine the value of the panel in men outside this "diagnostic gray zone.". Materials and Methods: We performed an individual patient data meta-analysis using data from prior studies on the 4-kallikrein panel. We calculated the properties of the panel for predicting high grade (Gleason 7+) cancer in a subgroup of men with either positive digital rectal examination or prostate specific antigen 10 to 25 ng/ml. Results: A total 2,891 men from 8 cohorts were included. An important proportion of patients, including 32% in the United States validation study, had prostate specific antigen 10 to 25 ng/ml or a positive digital rectal examination. For men with prostate specific antigen 10 to 25 ng/ml the fixed-effects estimate for the discrimination of the kallikrein model was 0.84 vs 0.69 for the base model (difference 0.128, 95% CI 0.098-0.159). In the positive digital rectal examination group discrimination was 0.82 vs 0.72 (difference 0.092, 95% CI 0.069-0.115). Decision analysis showed a clinical net benefit for use of the panel in this subgroup with a reduction in biopsy rates of about 20% and only a small number of high grade cancers missed, fewer than 3% of those not biopsied. Conclusion: The use of the kallikrein panel in men with a positive digital rectal examination or prostate specific antigen 10 to 25 ng/ml is justified.
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| 16. |
- Vickers, Andrew, et al.
(author)
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Value of Intact Prostate Specific Antigen and Human Kallikrein 2 in the 4 Kallikrein Predictive Model : An Individual Patient Data Meta-Analysis
- 2018
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In: Journal of Urology. - : Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health). - 0022-5347 .- 1527-3792. ; 199:6, s. 1470-1474
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Purpose: The 4 kallikrein panel, commercially available as the 4Kscore®, is a statistical model that has been shown to accurately predict Gleason Grade Group 2 or greater (high grade) cancer on biopsy and the long-term risk of distant prostate cancer metastases. The panel includes 2 novel markers, namely intact prostate specific antigen and hK2. It has been questioned whether these 2 additional markers add discrimination to the clinical predictors of patient age, digital rectal examination and prior biopsy, and the established molecular markers total and free prostate specific antigen. Materials and Methods: We performed an individual patient data meta-analysis of published studies in which the 4 kallikrein panel was measured in men undergoing prostate biopsy. We assess the improvement in discrimination associated with including intact prostate specific antigen and hK2 along with total and free prostate specific antigen in the statistical model. Results: Included in analysis were 14,510 men from a total of 10 studies. The fixed effects meta-analytical estimate of the discrimination of the model without intact prostate specific antigen and hK2 was 0.742 (95% CI 0.727–0.756) compared to 0.813 (95% CI 0.801–0.825) for the full kallikrein model. The 95% CIs did not overlap and the difference in discrimination was highly statistically significant (0.069, 95% CI 0.057–0.080, p <0.0001). Intact prostate specific antigen (increase in discrimination 0.059, 95% CI 0.050–0.069) and hK2 (increase in discrimination 0.024, 95% CI 0.020–0.029, each p <0.0001) added independently to the model. Conclusions: The clinical value of the panel could not be replicated using data readily available to urologists without measuring intact prostate specific antigen and hK2.
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| 17. |
- Winer, Andrew G, et al.
(author)
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Prognostic value of lymph node yield during nephroureterectomy for upper tract urothelial carcinoma.
- 2017
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In: Urologic oncology. - : Elsevier BV. - 1873-2496. ; 35:4
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Lymph node dissection (LND) performed during radical nephroureterectomy (RNU) for upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) remains controversial and difficult to evaluate. The aim of this study was to investigate whether removal of more lymph nodes during RNU is safe and improves oncologic outcomes.We evaluated 422 patients who underwent RNU with concomitant LND for upper tract urothelial carcinoma between 1976 and 2015, assessing for an association between total nodes removed, recurrence-free survival, and cancer-specific survival using Cox proportional hazards models. We also investigated the relationship between nodal yield and perioperative metrics and intersurgeon variability using linear regression.In our cohort of 442 patients, 239 developed recurrences and 94 patients died of disease. Median follow-up among survivors was 3.7 years (interquartile range: 1.2, 7.4). The median nodal yield was 9 (interquartile range: 4, 16). Among patients with node-positive disease (pN1), we observed a significant improvement in recurrence-free survival (hazard ratio = 0.84 per 5 nodes removed, P = 0.039) and a nonsignificant improvement in cancer-specific survival with an increase in the nodal yield (hazard ratio = 0.90 per 5 nodes removed, P = 0.2). There was no evidence of an association between node yield and operative time, estimated blood loss, or 30-day complications on multivariable analysis. There was significant heterogeneity among surgeons regarding the extent of LND (P<0.0001).We found that a more extensive node dissection may improve oncologic outcomes in a subset of high-risk patients without significantly increasing operative time or serious complications. Additionally, we identified considerable intersurgeon heterogeneity regarding the extent of LND furthering the notion of surgeon variability as a nonstandardized factor.
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