Author Interviews, Cancer Research, Prostate Cancer, Surgical Research, Transplantation / 23.12.2015
Screening Kidney Transplant Recipients For Prostate Cancer May Not Be Beneficial
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Gerardo Vitiello, MD
Emory University School of Medicine
Emory Transplant Center
NYU Langone Medical Center
Department of Surgery
Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Dr. Vitiello: Screening for prostate cancer with prostate specific antigen (PSA) levels is highly controversial, as it is a non-specific marker for prostate cancer. A PSA level may be elevated in a variety of disease processes (not only prostate cancer), and even in the general population, the benefit of early intervention for prostate cancer is unclear. In contrast, end stage renal disease (ESRD), where patients no longer have renal function and require dialysis, is a major health problem with a huge impact on a patient’s quality of life. The only cure for ESRD is kidney transplantation, which has been shown to have an enormous health and quality of life benefit for transplant recipients. Transplant centers have rigorously screened candidates for potential malignancy prior to transplantation to ensure that there are no contraindications to receiving a transplant. For the first time, we demonstrate that screening for prostate cancer in kidney transplant candidates is not beneficial, and may actually be harmful, since it delays time to transplant and reduces a patient’s chance of receiving a transplant without an apparent benefit on patient survival.
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