New way for prostate cancer metastasis prediction

According to cancer experts at Johns Hopkins, the length of time it takes for PSA (prostate-specific antigen) to double, Gleason score, and the interval between surgical removal of the prostate and the first detectable PSA level, estimate more accurately the risk that the cancer has spread than do other methods and should help determine which patients may benefit from additional therapy when PSA levels rise after prostatectomy.

Findings from the study presented at the June 2009 annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) may also help resolve the debate on when and in what form secondary treatments should occur.