Author Interviews, Lancet, Prostate Cancer / 20.01.2017
Cancer-Related Mortality Low In Men With Benign Prostate Biopsy
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Dr. Nina Klemann
MD, PhD-student
Copenhagen Prostate Cancer Center
Copenhagen
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: For 30 years, ultrasound-guided biopsies of the prostate have been used in the evaluation of men suspected for prostate cancer. The biopsy needles are employed systematically into the prostate at different sites where prostate cancer is typically present. However, it has been recognized for years, that there is a risk of not hitting the cancer areas, simply by chance. Although cancer diagnosis may be missed in the initial biopsy set by sampling error, it has been a continuous debate whether lethal prostate cancer is missed. Today, we know that prostate cancer is a common finding in men age 50-80, but that the life-time risk of prostate cancer death in this age-group is low. Consequently, we know that there is a considerable risk of diagnosing, and ultimately treating, a disease that will never result in symptoms or death.
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